


Wizard Detective Saga: Part I

by Paladinium



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Auror Harry, Auror Ron, Detectives, Gen, Grey Harry, Muggle Hermione, Muggle/Wizard Relations, Post-Hogwarts, Powerful Harry
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-04-28
Updated: 2015-11-13
Packaged: 2018-01-21 03:50:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 109,319
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1536485
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Paladinium/pseuds/Paladinium
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Hermione is a renowned LAPD detective chasing a renegade drug lord, Harry's a Senior Auror placed in Los Angeles to track down remnant death eaters and their new Dark Lord. Two different officers from different worlds; how will their paths intertwine?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Falling Papers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leaflets pulled out of the river of time showing up what happened before this very story ...

_Daily Prophet (Special Edition) Jan, 5th 2001 Page One_

**_THE PROPHECY FULFILLED:_ **

**_YOU-KNOW-WHO DEFEATED_ **

Auror teams, led by Senior Aurors Harry Potter, better known as the Boy-Who-Lived, and Ronald Weasley, Harry Potter's Best Mate and childhood friend, defeated You-Know-Who and the death eaters after a blood-thirsty battle on the snowy fields of Hogsmeade on the 4th of January this year.

Witnesses stated that the snow thickness was one and a half meters before the final battle, but with the intensity of the battle it has melted to a half meter. Everyone was scared to go out and observe the battle; however, our brave and renowned reporter Rita Skeeter was there and reported every scene of the final battle _(go to page 5 for further details)._

* * *

_Daily Prophet (Special Edition) Jan, 5th 2001 Page Five_

**_THE FINAL BATTLE:_ **

**_A CLOSER LOOK_ **

_ By: Rita Skeeter _

The Wizarding World can breathe easily now that You-Know-Who is defeated; Harry Potter and his team of aurors encountered the death eaters lead by You-Know-Who in the outskirts of Hogsmeade. The weather was the worst ever in the history of Hogsmeade; roaring blizzard and cloudy night, and everything was covered with at least one meter of snow. But in the outskirts, the sheer power of the curse-exchange was overwhelming. The snow melted and the aura skyrocketed, even the people of Hogsmeade felt the scorch of spells in there homes.

The battle itself was extraordinary, casualties from both sides: On the aurors side Kingsley, Parks, Aubrey have fallen; and Tonks, Longbottom injured. On the death eaters’ side, Crabbe, Goyle, McNair, and Lestrange were killed; and Malfoy was injured badly.

After half an hour of curse exchanging; everybody suddenly came to a halt and watched for the fierce duel that took place between the two strongest wizards of the century, a battle that hasn't occurred since the days of Dumbledore and Grindelwald: On the light side; Harry Potter, the Boy-Who-Lived, the Chosen One, and the master of white and offensive magic, with greenish-blue warm aura emitting from him; on the dark side; You-Know-Who, the Dark Lord, and the tamer of Black Magic, with cold reddish-black aura. Both of there auras were equal to the sum of both aurors' and death eaters' spell powers.

With the magical shields up; the spell exchange began suddenly with enormous numbers of curses, hexes, and jinxes; even the Unforgivables (Which, once again, were approved for use by the Ministry) were used, although not by Harry Potter. Both duelers were apparating with outstanding speed and with no sound at all. Potter was caught by surprise with Avada Kedavra directed at him, but it was reflected to the caster by mysteriously, and the Dark Lord barely escaped it.

Finally, with a sudden move, Auror Potter caught You-Know-Who with his guard down and shot an unknown spell that hit the Dark Lord directly, causing him to melt slowly and disgustingly with his fingers falling and green fumes rising from his body. He soon exploded and his spirit began to hover around the battle field, but it was eventually caught by Auror Potter and soon it vanished.

The death eaters began to flee the scene after the demise of their master, many escaped but a few got caught by an anti-apparition ward raised by Auror Weasley, amid the prisoners were Malfoy, and Bellatrix Lestrange.

After the battle, we interviewed some of the aurors; the first was none other than Harry Potter himself:

**Me:** _Mr. Potter, if you please …_

**HP:** _Not now Rita, we've just fini ..._

**Me:** _What is your feeling after the end of You-Know-Who's reign of terror._

**HP:** _What an odd question, of course I'm relieved that the dark tosser, but who said that the reign of terror has ended!_

**Me:** _But You-Know-Who has been destr …_

**HP:** _Firstly, do NOT fear the name of the dead, his name is Tom Marvolo Riddle, muggle-born, his name "You-Know-Who", don’t flinch, was made by scrambling his true name. Secondly, there are still death eaters amongst us who can start wrecking havoc everything we are trying to build._

**Me:** _So, what is your next plan?_

**HP:** _Catch some death eaters, interrogate them, and then feed them to death._

**Me:** _Pretty straightforward as usual, Mr. Potter._

**HP:** _You know me, Rita. Now if you please, I have some dead to report and some wounded to move._

**Me:** _Don't let me stand in your way Mr. Potter._

**HP:** _Aren't you always …_

(Mr. Potter said the name of You-Know-Who, but it was edited for the sake of our reviewers).

After that, we tried to interview Auror Weasley, but it was a wee bit concise for our satisfaction, as follows:

**Me:** _Mr. Weasley if you please._

**RW:** _Piss off, Rita._

**Me:** _I beg your pardon._

**RW:** _I said "Piss off"; as you see, we do not have the luxury of time or space for one of your "Manipulated" interviews._

**Me:** _My interviews are not manipulated._

**RW:** _It is. Now piss off, I said it thrice; next time I'll hex you to kingdom come._

**Me:** _Okay, okay. See you in a better mood then, Auror Weasley._

After this outstanding battle and "collective" interviews a question is left unanswered.

Is it really the end of the Dark Lord? Or he has another method of returning?

I can only say that the Wizarding World cannot stand another Dark Lord on the loose …

* * *

  _Daily Prophet Jan, 10th 2001 Page One_

**_A SOURCE IS LOST:_ **

**_LUCIUS MALFOY IS KILLED_ **

Imprisoned death eater, Lucius Malfoy, was found dead yesterday's morning in his cell in Azkaban Prison (which is no longer guarder by Dementors). Head warden Williams denied any further information, but said that the prisoners were treated fairly due to the request by the ministry for further interrogation.

It seems, though, that the free death eaters are trying to cut any ropes leading to their new headquarters. Which lead to believe that they are still active under a new leadership, and are trying, as Mr. Potter said early, to "Wreck Havoc" amongst the innocent people of the Wizarding World.

* * *

_Daily Prophet Feb, 20th 2003 Page One_

**_A NEW THREAT EMERGED_ **

**_MARCUS FLINT SPOTTED_ **

Marcus Flint, the youngest death eater ever, was seen by eye-witnesses looming in Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley with other followers of the former Dark Lord and was "Wrecking Havoc" in some places before being chased by an auror patrol to an abandoned building. Were he has escaped by floo network before being caught. The patrol confirmed the story and denied to give the destination of the floo network there, which was closed and sealed immediately by Auror Department preventing the Prophet's floo experts to investigate it for further information.

* * *

_Los Angeles_ _Times Feb, 25th 2003 Page One_

**_A DRUG LORD ON THE RUN_ **

**_LA MUERTE ESCAPES CUSTODY_ **

Drug lord Pablo Martinez, has escaped from custody last night after a break-in by the cartel, the alarm mysteriously didn't sound.

45 years old Pablo Martinez, also known in the criminal circles as "La Muerte" which means "The Death" in Spanish, is the big fish and sole leader of the Colombia Cartel, the biggest smuggler of cocaine from Colombia to USA, and also known to own the biggest farms of cocaine in Colombia.

Detective Hermione Granger stated that he will be caught in no time due to the activeness of LAPD search teams all around Los Angeles.

_"He will be caught and given his chores, that bloody wanker"_ Detective Granger stated

As you see, some strong words have been said here revealing the fury of detective granger. And we all know that her fury is not without cause, her former partner detective Joseph Crane has been assassinated upon the orders of the drug lord himself because he was working undercover and sent information to LAPD about main smuggling routes of the cartel which caused massive hindering of cocaine smuggling.

We all hope that his death will not go in vain, and our eyes and ears with Detective Granger waiting for her to say "Mission Accomplished".


	2. Relocation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The real beginning of the saga. A straight-forward mission that was the start of it all ...

In the heart of London, where life had taken a drive on the fast lane, everyone was going about their business and nobody gave a second glance through a dingy side street where a few abandoned offices and an out-of-order telephone booth were collecting dust. However, one cloaked figure appeared out of thin air and walked into the telephone booth. He started dialing a number on the phone and instead of ringing, the booth floor started to descend.

"Welcome to the Ministy of Magic, Auror Potter" The voice spoke to the cloaked figure who was none other than Harry Potter; the most famous wizard in England, and after he vanquished his nemesis another unofficial title was given to him … The most powerful wizard in the world.

"Hello to you, too …" Harry replied jokingly at the greeting voice and stepped out of the lift into the busy hallway of the Ministry of Magic. He walked past the crowd not failing to notice the looks awe and whispers which he learned to ignore. He reached a second lift which was entirely different than the dingy one. But before he stepped into it he heard a familiar voice calling him from behind.

"Oi! Harry!!" It was Ronald Weasley; Harry's best friend and second-in-command. He beamed at him and shook his hand heartily.

"Hello Ron, fancy seeing you here" Harry cheerfully greeted his best mate who replied in the same carefree manner "Have you been summoned too, mate?"

"I was having a drink at the Leaky Cauldron when the summons arrived. Do you know what Minister Bones wants with us?" Harry asked seriously this time.

"Not a clue, mate. But you know old hag Bones; maybe it's another secret mission or …" Ron gulped in horror before as he remembered "Maybe it is to reprimand me for botching the last sting"

Harry laughed at his friend's dismay and retorted "We'll know soon enough" and before they add another word the doors of the lift opened and they stepped into the entrance of the Minister's Office.

"Ah, senior aurors Potter and Weasley, welcome. Minister Bones is waiting for you inside" A tight-lipped, grey-haired old woman greeted them coldly.

"Thank you Carrie. I hope the Minister is not upset with us or anything" Harry coolly which she answered in the same coolness "On the contrary, Mr. Potter, she seems to be in a delighted mood today"

She then stepped inside the office to inform the minister of their arrival. Ron took that chance to whisper in Harry's ear "I can't be sure who scares me more; old hag Bones or her thrall" Harry smiled but didn't reply.

Moments later, Carrie came outside and ushered them into the office. And as soon as they entered they stood formally in silence and saw that Minister Bones was engaged in a deep conversation over the flue network with a strange person, he did speak English as they overheard a word or two from the conversation, but he didn't sound British. As the conversation came to the end the minister turned to them and greeted them.

"Well, good afternoon, senior aurors" in her calm yet firm voice, Minister Amelia Bones greet both of our protagonists "At ease, gentlemen" they assumed a more relaxed stance as she proceeded.

"I must first congratulate both of you on your discovery of the illegal flue route, even though the original plan lays in shambles" she gave Ron a meaningful glance which he returned with a smile smiled nervously "Our intelligence & Research bureau has discovered that the flue route was a long distance that went all the way to America, which brings me to the call I just had"

She rummaged through the things on her desk and pulled out two parchments out of the pile while she carried on with her speech "The person whom you saw in the flue call was the Minister Malone of the Ministry of Magic of the United States of America" the last revelation earned her an interested look from both Harry and Ron "As the law states, our jurisdiction ended when the death eaters fled the country. So, the natural course was to inform the officials at the country they fled to about the currents situation. But what Minister Malone is proposing is rather interesting …"

At that very moment, she had gained their full attention as she scribbled something on the parchments and continued "Since the Auror Office in America is newly formed, they have no experiences in dealing with Death Eaters. So, he proposed a joint operation between Ministries of Magic in Europe and America. However, this proposal comes with one condition …" she finished her scribbling and started to roll the parchments.

"The International Auror Surveillance Team, as he calls it, shall be led by seasoned aurors from Britain, the country that dealt with the death eater threat for a long time; and not any aurors; he wants them to be from the auror team that clashed with the late Dark Lord directly and raised Hell within his inner circle" she looked at both aurors directly showing a rare grin on her face "In other words, he enlists the help of our famed Death Trackers …"

She handed them the parchment she was scribbling on and stated "Your orders …" they took the parchments without a word and she continued "Now, before you two leave I must give you some instructions. Firstly, you will be out of the country for months or even years, so prepare yourselves for a long stay in the America. Secondly, you will report to Minister Malone directly, and if you need any intelligence regarding the situation up here just contact The Professor, because he will be in charge of the investigation from this point forward. Any question now"

Ron grimaced slightly as he asked, "Why isn't Director Tonks in charge of the investigation, I believe that the Research bureau has no business in field activities"

Minister Bones glanced over her spectacles and answered, "It is called  _Intelligence_  & Research Bureau for a reason. And frankly, Director Tonks personally asked me to put The Professor in charge, due to the fact that she is busy with other matters that need her full attention" she pointed at Harry and stated "Also, he asked me that he requests the presence of Auror Potter on the double to check on some new discoveries he just did. As for you Auror Weasley, the Director of Muggle Artifacts Research Department wants to have a word with you"

"Da… I mean Director Arthur?! But what does he want from me?" Ron asked in confusion.

"Honestly, I don't want to know; but I have a feeling that it is something you will find both dangerous and fascinating, and that concludes our meeting" Minister Bones said in a dismissal note.

Both of them took off hastily to their destinations. Harry reached the lab and as he was about to knock the door sprung open. He took notice of the over-activity of the lab which is unusual for a step-by-step working department. He made his way to the central office and knocked the door. The door opened slightly then widely and he saw the pale-skinned, tall, blonde man in a lab robe.

"Potter" Said the blonde man with stone face which Harry replied with a sly smile "Malfoy"

"About time you showed up, I was about to give up hope and leave the ministry for the crime scene" Said Malfoy with his eyes fixed on Harry's

"Oh, not to worry; the crime scene can wait a few minutes, and it can't escape as the death eaters do, can it?!" Harry said in a carefree way causing Malfoy to scowl anf retorted "At any rate I wanted to show you a couple of new charms that we have discovered three months ago, and it took that amount of time to be perfected"

Malfoy drew Harry's full attention, whom face changed suddenly from slyness to seriousness and asked "And what kind of charm that would take that lot of time?!"

Malfoy ushered Harry to his office while explaining "The first one is a vacuum charm that is when applied to a space, will cause a shift of all gases from this space creating a 'vacuum' just like the outer space, and it will also prevent any matter exchange with the outside, so no matter with enter or exit the vacuum sphere, this can be useful any exploding curse or creature like blast-ended skrewts. The second charm is gas-selection charm; it is the same as the vacuum charm but instead of creating a vacuum it will create a globe of a specific gas, the gas name must be muttered after the spell incantation; we really still can't figure the use of this spell but we are trying to complete our research about it …"

"Can't we cast an oxygen globe on ourselves for underwater activities" Harry said with a gleam in his eyes and Malfoy thought for a second before he answered.

"I think this can be done, but first I must warn you that a hundred percent oxygen concentration will hinder your ability to breathe, so we need further research and hope that we might perfect it to be dual or triple or even quadruple gas-selection charm, because you need carbon dioxide in small percentage to promote the breathing mechanism. Now I want you to take this; it is a copy of the notes on these charms, incantations and all, read them thoroughly then report to me"

Harry took the notes and took a first glance; the contents are the incantations plus the needed wand waving. He read them thoroughly then searched for Malfoy, he found him in the test room where new spells are tested.

The room is similar to the Room of Requirements in Hogwarts, except it is larger in size. He is now standing in an empty room besides a weird device in the center of the room, the walls are covered with Hungarian Horntail skin for maximum protection, and the room itself is under a constant silencing charm to prevent any disturbance to the research team next door.

"I took the liberty of preparing the test room for you to test the charms; this weird device you see here is the latest model of muggle gas detector, it is a hi-tech contraption used to detect any traces of gases in the surrounding atmosphere, and I mean any traces, this machine can detect up to 0.000001 particle per cubic millimeter, with an error pattern of one to million. Anyway, details does not matter here, I want you to cast the vacuum charm on it now"

Harry drew his wand swiftly and muttered the incantation "Vacuus", and a semi-transparent sphere appeared around the detector, which now began rambling silently then stopped and the globe disappeared.

"As you see this spell also act as a silencing charm because sound cannot travel in vaccum" Malfoy stated as he paced toward the detector and read the results, "Oxygen: 0, Nitrogen: 0, Hydrogen: 0, etc…"

"Your intent is the key factor in maintaining the charm for longer time, the more you intend to keep it up the more it will be sustained. Now for the other charm…" Malfoy stepped away from the detector.

"Gasus Oxygus" and an azure-blue globe appeared around the detector, "Oxygen: 100" Malfoy stated.

"Gasus Nitrus" and a dark-blue globe appeared, "Nitrogen: 100"

The test has gone on for some time until Malfoy beckoned Harry out of the room. Then said "There is a list of every gas-selection incantation in the notes, I doubt you will need all of them but better safe than sorry. Now I assume you have some questions regarding the charms"

Harry jumped into questions quickly "What would happen if someone was trapped inside the vacuum globe, how much time you need to perfect the gas-selection charm, can they be cast wandlessly and wordlessly"

Malfoy took a deep breath, then answered slowly "For your first question the effect will be similar to someone in the outer space will no protection at all, he or she will explode. It is the same of the exploding acid curse you cast on Voldemort except that the effect is due to negative pressure not positive pressure. Secondly I honestly don't know because it depends on the experience of the research team at hand, and unfortunately the testing is rather difficult as you have observed recently, at any rate I will keep you informed of any new updates. Lastly, the method of the casting is merely dependant on the experience and the skill of the caster, and I daresay that you are the best of the best when it comes to spell casting, even that jester of a partner of yours comes in second place …"

"Who's the jester you wanker" Ron came into the lab frowning angrily.

"Well, if it isn't the hippie redhead, I'm still amazed how the auror department could tolerate you" Malfoy's face broke into a wry smile.

"Glass arse" Ron muttered and unfortunately for him that Malfoy heard him "At least I'm not a thickhead who will ruin every plan in the book …"

Ron was about to jump at his throat again, but Harry stepped in and stopped both of them "Now, now chaps … this is not the time or place for another brawl. We will take our leaving for now, Thank you Professor Malfoy" Harry said in a hurry and pushed Ron out of the lab, at this moment Malfoy stopped him.

"Before you go Potter I want to give you this" and he brought a potion vial filled with purple slimy goo. "This is the prototype of the enhanced formula of wound knitting ointment; it has been tested on minor cuts and medium wound and the effects were astounding, the time needed for the ointment to take effect is 10-15 seconds, extraordinary isn't it. The problem is we had not tested it on major wounds and, of course, not yet on muggle volunteers; so don't go wasting the whole vial on wounded muggles without need, we still haven't produced it commercially and the vial you have is merely half of what we produced"

Harry thanked Malfoy and turned to the door.

"And Harry" Malfoy cracked a soft smile and said in a plea-tone he tried to conceal "Avenge my father, will ya'".

Harry turned his head and smiled back "Don't worry Draco", and then exited the lab.

"That bloody wanker, I will have his have his head next time, and don't try to stop me Harry" Ron exclaimed angrily. Harry didn't reply, Draco's plea kept ringing in his mind, and he had a flashback of a specific incident two years ago.

Harry remembered the expression on Draco's face when he learned about his father's murder, it was raging with fury and he vowed revenge for his father's soul. He was their informant within the ranks of the death eaters although which his did voluntarily after he witnessed the atrocities done by his former comrades. He thought that his request will be denied considering his family's history with the former dark lord.

He then completed his unofficial training under Harry's tutelage in a very short time, due to the fact that he is a dark arts expert. He then took part indirectly in the capture and extermination of members of Voldemort's inner circle who survived the final battle. And encountered and dueled other death eaters whom, by chance, were his friends and mates from Slytherin House in Hogwarts.

He accidentally got hit with a nasty curse which was no other than 'Sectusempra' curse. But this time it was far much powerful than the time he got hit with it by Harry, it caused him to gash more serious wounds and he entered into shock instantly. He was drawn out of battle in an instant by Harry himself, and was placed in Field Healers camp nearby.

After the battle ended, he began to regain consciousness, but has fallen into despair when a healer told him that due to the seriousness of the wounds he cannot participate in any action for a long time which can be months or years. He became angry with himself because he cannot fulfill his repentance anymore, but he accepted his fate.

He then applied for a position as researcher in the newly opened Intelligence and Research Bureau, and his wish was granted again. He climbed the rank ladder quickly due to his natural talent, and was finally appointed head of the whole bureau, or 'Laboratory' as they call it.

"Earth to Harry, earth to Harry, can you read me" Harry was brought to present with Ron's yelling.

"Yes, I hear you. No need for yowling" Harry said in a disgruntled voice.

Ron stared in confusion then said "As I was saying, father showed me a new model of muggle computer, it was the latest IBM laptop, but the department has enchanted it so the user can surf the internet without any connection at all. This will prevent the user from detection by other users, hackers, or even the internet police. Imagine that, I will be the most invincible hacker in the world"

Ron completed his sentence then laughed loudly. Harry couldn't help but smile, the first time he knew Ron he was totally clueless when it comes to muggle artifacts, but now he is the number one expert in that branch. Ever since his father was appointed Director of Muggle Artifact Research Department he was taken by the sheer beauty of these artifacts and vowed himself to become the team expert in these items, even Harry who was raised in a muggle way never been exposed to such number of items. His aunt and uncle wouldn't let him.

"I think we should bid farewell to our family and friends, because I think we won't set foot on UK for a long time, may be for good" Harry exhaled loudly as he muttered to his mate.

"Your right, but no need to be that blue, I am absolutely sure that Ginny and mother will cry loudly when they see your face, you look like you just came out of a coffin" Harry chuckled sickly for his best mate's statement.

\------------------------------

A minute later they were at the Burrow. Molly always insisted that Harry must live with them after he left the Dursleys, because the Burrow was a lot emptier when the twins left for their flat above their shop in Diagon Alley. But Harry didn't want to endanger the family he loves so much, because anywhere he goes, Voldemort and his death eaters attack that location. Even after Voldemort's demise there were still death eaters running free around the country. But in the last month the cleansing operations has come to an end when the last death eater was captured or fled to America. He accepted Molly's request and became part of the family, a family he has no blood ties to, but he has never known love anywhere except amid them.

"Ron, Harry dear, welcome home. Isn't a bit early for you to come home" Molly exclaimed joyfully and bewilderingly.

"Hi mom, well Harry and I have some news. Well, Harry you say it …" Ron said nervously and looked away from his mother's concerned face.

"Well, actually Aunt Molly … We discovered that the last of death eaters whereabouts, they escaped to the United States" Harry said softly but his nervousness surfaced on his face.

"These are wonderful news my dear, why the long face" Molly exclaimed happy, but couldn't hide her worry.

"We have to track them by ourselves, mom …" Ron said quickly in a more nervous tone, "And it may take years for us to round them all"

"Oh …" Molly said semi-shocked expression, then they hear someone tripping by the kitchen door, it was red-haired young lady with a well-developed body.

"Ginny, I thought you were at work" Ron exclaimed in a shocked voice, but it was not close to the shock in Harry's face, Ginny was tearing as she walked to them.

"Why do you have to go too, you are the last ones in the house and I will be all alone now" She screamed at them with so much anger, and she throw herself on Harry with Ron patting hers.

Harry was now fighting a blush as the young lady began to sob loudly on his shoulders. He was never been placed in such awkward situation, even dueling Voldemort was much easier than this, he never had the luxury of time to tend to his social life, and never had a girl to hold his hand, let alone a full-grown young lady who blossomed perfectly crying on his chest, he never thought of Ginny more than a little sister, and now he realized that this 'sister' has a massive crush on him. He looked to Ron asking for help, be he couldn't met his gaze as he quickly looked to the ceiling avoiding eye contact with Harry. He shifted his gaze to Molly who looked amazed but understanding and soon changed to soft motherly eyes.

Harry then looked onto Ginny, she was really astounding, her body is filled up quite nicely, and in the right places, her face began to mature too, she was no longer the annoying little child she was, but a heartbroken young and fair lady. Harry mentally slapped himself 'she is Ron's little sister and your adopted sister too, do not think of her like that'. When she stopped crying he addressed her with a hoarse voice.

"Ginny, I'm sorry if I angered you, but we weren't informed of this order until this afternoon. I'm sorry again, but in case we don't see each other again I want you to know that I will remember you as the sister I never had …"

He mentally punched himself this time when he realized what he said, he saw another tear appearing in her eye and he wished if the earth swallowed him. He caused her much grief with words and he saw the despair in her eyes, as if she had given up hope on him.

She then stepped back and looked into his eyes, then forced a sickly sad smile on her face, "I will never forget you Harry Potter" she said in a weak voice that he never herd from her.

She then walked to her mother who hugged her fiercely and looked into Harry with an apologetic way.

"Well, I think that we must make our way to our rooms then" Ron said hastily while pushing Harry to the stairs.

"Harry you big dunce, she was in love with you for years, and all what you could say 'I will remember you as a sister', you are a real dimwit, ain't ya'?" Ron stated in a total shell shock.

"You know that I haven't dealt with a girl in my life, let alone a young lady. All what I thought of while in school was to stay alive, I am a wall flower" Harry said and followed with a big sigh.

"Tell me about it" Ron replied, "Anyway, we must pack quickly, our apparition to USA must be within two hours", then he darted toward his room.

Two hours have pasts, and our protagonists were at the International Apparition Zone with Arthur, Molly, Ginny, and the twins bidding them farewell. Molly began to cry loudly, which annoyed Ron even more.

"Now mom, what was that all about, it isn't that we won't return at all" Ron said in a nervous manner.

Harry walked toward Molly and hugged her gently "Good bye … Mother" and Molly began to wail even louder and hugged him fiercely.

He stepped back and joined Ron in the way to the apparition zone.

"How do you feel Harry?" Ron exclaimed excitedly.

"I don't know, but I feel that we will not return to England the same" Harry said.

And he never thought that he sounded so right, because destiny is awaiting them on the other side of the world.


	3. Crime Scene Investigation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On this chapter, the 'Muggle' protagonists are introduced along with minor but effective players ... The unknown Soldiers ... The IAST trio

On an early weekend morning, all was quiet in Arlington Heights. However, in a building not so far from Jefferson Boulevard a phone rang suddenly causing the sole resident of one of the apartments to spring awake cursing loudly in anger.

"The bloody is calling at this hour" A bushy haired woman, whose hair became even bushier during her sleep, walked towards the phone and picked it up in anger almost tearing it off the wall.

"You, wanker, have got a bloody nerve calling at th-" She greeted the caller with severe outburst that she regretted when he replied.

"Watch your tongue, Granger! This is your boss calling …" The caller replied snapping Hermione out of her grumpy daze.

"Captain Maronski, sir" said the no-longer-sleepy woman as her face turned white "I'm sorry, I-"

"Save it, Granger. I want you here on the double" Maronski stated "There's a murder case here waiting for you"

"But sir, I was on duty all ye-" She sourly tried to explained but was shot down by her boss "When I mean on the double, I mean now" and he hung up on her

"Prick" Hermione cured at the not-responding phone, and then she made her way to the bathroom and took a quick shower, drank her coffee in a hurry and made her way to the police precinct.

Fifteen minutes later, she was standing in front of the precinct. She shot directly to the elevator, and punched the third floor button hard.

"Ouch! Watch it, Granger; this is government property you're tearing down" a voice said slyly behind her, she looked around and saw a man wearing a sly smile in addition to a pony tail and shades; Pierce McLaden; her recent partner who often tend to get on her nerves.

"Don't start Pierce, I'm not in the mood" Hermione Mumbled slowly.

"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed, Herms?" Pierce remarked slyly "Or counting the days remaining 'til the end of your IPA exchange"

"I said, shut it! And what are you doing here, anyway?" Hermione asked and he answered comically "Well … I'm your partner, ya know. It's not like I love to leave the cozy bed beside my wife to work early. So, do you know what that all about?"

"Just another murder case" Hermione said dryly as they reached the third floor and paced through the desks to the Captain's office.

"Captain Maronski, sir" Hermione greeted, and the said Captain noticed her arrival and shot her a disapproving look.

"You are both late. Anyway, one of the boys in precinct three has found a dead body in an alley in the downtown this morning, they've transferred the case file to us" the Captain stated.

"Why do they always dump their workload on us" Pierce stated in an annoyed voice.

"Well … Take it this way; either we are smarter than them or they are too stupid to solve simple cases. In any way here is the case file" He handed the file to Hermione who flipped through it quickly.

"Unbelievable?" Hermione muttered and her boss stated "Read it thoroughly while you are on the way to the crime scene; you're both on this case from now on and SID guys is already on the scene collecting evidence…" Maronski finished his sentence but saw that both Hermione and Pierce still leafing through the file which angered him immensely.

"What are you waiting, an invitation?!"He cried in fury "I said read it while you are on your way; I've got enough fresh meat to babysit to add an oldie and an exchange" the Captain dismissed them hastily and gone through some paperwork.

They made their way to the parking lot. And pierce said slyly "Wow … that was something, and I thought you were angry"

Hermione replied sarcastically and threw him the car keys "With all the papers he has to fill I was surprised he even saw us … Poor fellow"

"He said new meat, is he another exchange … Or maybe a replacement for Joseph" Pierce said cautiously but regretted it when he saw her cringe for a second before replying "I not sure, but I hope he is better than that arse of a detective we got two weeks ago"

"Whoa, strong words missy, and I don't blame him for being distracted, noticing you having such curves and all"

"Pierce!!" Hermione exclaimed with an angry blush "If you started this joke all over again I'll tell your wife"

"You wouldn't dare …" He retorted with a fake horrified look on his face and she couldn't help but to smile "You …"

"Well, that's enough chitchat, we've got a case on our hand" Hermione shoved the file at Pierce "A week ago we found a male dead body in an alley near the 5th street, the cause of death was the explosion of his chest cavity which caused an instant but painful death according to his face expressions …" Hermione said to Pierce, who was eyeing the picture with a disgust look on his face.

"Man, what a poor guy, he must've angered a mobster or somthin', 'cuz that only can be done by sticking a Colt Python in his mouth" Stated Pierce "I've always to add one to my collection"

Hermione sighed hopelessly and continued "Two days later we found another male dead body with his head missing" Pierce was in a shock, for he saw the picture she is talking about "and we found bits of his brains all over the place"

"That … is disgusting" Pierce said looking at her, then eyeing the pictures again "But not abnormal many illegal explosives and explosive bullets can cause this situation, and with many gangs owning them I doubt we can catch the murderer"

"Eyes on the road, Pierce" She warned him "Can you tell me what infernal weapon can cause the head to explode without affecting the chest, or even causing this effect without leaving burning marks or …" Hermione looked at him intently and continued "Without leaving gunpowder traces"

* * *

Harry poured himself a cup of tea while waiting for Ron finishing his shower. Unlike their first mission on American soil, the process this time had been so smooth and the reception of the American Minister had been genuinely warm. He began to recall their first meeting with Minister Malone and their mission briefing.

FLASHBACK

_"Welcome to the United States of America" Minister Malone greeted both Ron and Harry in a warm manner; Harry returned the greetings and looked at the wizard who will become their direct superior for their stay here. He was a middle-aged wizard with light-dark complexion average height; he has a warm but tired look on his face, he has gray hair with light-gray goatee that accentuated his age._

_"I would've given you a proper greeting, but I'm not the good at formalities and we are racing against the clock, gentlemen" The old Minister stated "But let may say one thing; we are honored to have two of the Death Trackers' pioneer aurors …"_

_"The Honor is all ours, sir" Harry replied "And there is no greater compliment than the one given by the pioneer of the American Auror Office" Malone smiled at the courteous reply._

_"Well, enough mushy stuff for now" The Minister stated and then opened a drawer in his desk "Since the fall of the Dark Lord and both of our ministries have been working closely to track down his remaining supporters. They seem, however, to have finally regrouped here on our soil. I asked Minister Bones for expert 'Death Trackers' to handle the situation here along side other aurors from different countries" Minister Malone stated while searching in his drawers, he then pulled a thick dossier "Now for your mission briefing"_

_The Minister flipped open the dossier and resumed "You will be located in Los Angeles in a secret Field HQ, your primary objective will be the elimination of the new lead of the death eaters, Marcus Flint" the picture of Flint flew from the dossier into Harry's hand "I know that you've been chasing him since the incident, Potter; but What you don't know is that we've been tracking him for nearly two years. And the latest news we heard is that he announced himself the new Dark Lord"_

_Harry grimaced at the statement but didn't comment and Malone continued "We all know that he is not even half powerful as You-Know-Who, but some disturbing news has just come from our moles in muggle's law enforcement"_

_He tossed a muggle photo in front of Harry "We believe that Flint has allied with a muggle Drug Lord who called himself 'Muerte', which means 'Death' in Spanish, he is your secondary objective to eliminate, this very Drug Lord has just escaped 'Mysteriously' from a muggle maximum security prison, our investigators who disguised as muggle investigators confirmed the involvement of the death eaters in the break-in by finding traces of magic in the prison and the appearance of the Dark Mark above the prison. With Muerte's money and influence along with the death eaters magical powers I fear the worst has yet to come from this unholy alliance"_

_Minister Malone took a deep breath before he continued "As I said before you will not work alone, there is a list of candidates who mostly have volunteered, some even were given good recommendation" He Handed harry the list "Your job is to form the best team possible using any means of testing you see fit, and I appoint you, Senior Auror Harry Potter, to be the commander US 1 st Battalion and the head of the IAST which you will choose from this candidate list. Now, any questions" He handled the list to Harry who took it and started to unfold it._

_"I'd like to have your permission, sir …" The young Auror said "to appoint my colleague Auror Weasley as my deputy" Malone nodded and said "I didn't ask for both of you for nothing … It's yours"_

_Harry unfolded the parchment and stated "Where do I start"_

END FLASHBACK

"Harry; let's go, mate" Ron said loudly drawing him from memories. He then stood up and left the apartment.

"I can't wait to check my new flat. Of course, I have nothing on you Harry, but if I'm gonna work with muggles then they mustn't know who we are or that we know each other" Ron said in sheer excitement

"Whatever you say, mate. But remember …" Harry said with firmly and looked into his friend's eyes "Do not put any muggle in danger; your job is to gain as much information as you can and to steer the muggle police away from our mission"

Ron knew that Harry was strict about no muggle involvement since the _incident_ , so he nodded assuredly without a word uttered. After a short walk they reached an abandoned alley in which they disapparated to the alley near the HQ. As soon as they entered the HQ they were greeted by Richard Howards, and Ron was greeted with a 'High Five'.

"What's the news, Howards?" Harry asked inquisitively. He was answered in a rush and cool manner "Good news, Auror Potter, sir. Auror Weasley's fake CV has been uploaded and accepted by the muggle police; he is now the new detective in the Robbery & Homicide, although he will be on trial period for quite some time"

"That's good news, as for the trial period he has to endure it" Harry said "At least his presence will be covered by his muggle superiors"

Harry eyes traveled around the HQ. For a quick look it looked like a normal muggle flat, but actually, it has been protected with Anti-Apparition, Anti-Muggle, and other defensive wards. There are computers and surveillance devices all over the place; there is also a tech-lab desk around the corner, courtesy of both Ron and Auror Richard Howards. Ron and Dick, the newly chosen tech-Auror were the muggle experts, which explained their quick familiarity with each other. Harry barely contain his concern when he remembered the sheer joy on both Dick's and Ron's faces as he gave them the right to enchant muggle artifacts to a certain extent.

He looked back to his team members. Auror Richard Howards was the first to pass the test, his mischief personality along with his muggle artifact experience made Ron to accept him without second thought "He got the Weasleys' blood" Ron justified his choice.

The second one was Vladimir Pavlov, Russian Regular Auror, First Class and the Russian frontline leader during the days of the Second War. Most people said that he used to sympathize with the Dark Lord's cause due to his hatred towards the Russian muggle leaders at that time, but he lost his sympathy towards them when his wife and children were killed at the hands of the death eaters, he preferred to eliminate the death eaters on-site rather than capture them, and his experience in the Dark Arts along with his sheer spell power and control of the Unforgivables made him a great asset as a point man in any team he's in.

The third member of the team was an unusual feminine touch; Sofia Blanc, French Auror, Metamorphmagus, and a professional healer. She can blend in without being detected, and this can be useful in pursuit of any suspect.

Along with Harry's and Ron's experience, this team perfectly formed the core of the IAST.

"We found the file, sir" Dick exclaimed "Granger, Hermione. 24 years old, Former Scotland Yard inspector, on a special training program with LAPD Detective. Currently resides in Union Towers, Apartment 55" Dick took a breath and continued "IQ: 175, first of her class, graduated with honors, smart, and determined"

"175 … Bloody Hell, if she was a witch she'd be in Ravenclaw, ain't she Harry" Ron blurted, but Harry wasn't listening, he was looking deeply into the photo. Hazel eyes, curly hair; he seemed to know her from somewhere or at least know of her.

"I don't know …" he muttered loudly this time. "What, don't you agree with me mate?" Ron said in confusion. "No, no, I agree with you, but …" Harry stopped "But what?" Ron incited him "Spill your beans", Harry was in deep thought and Ron was lost, then he followed Harry's gaze to the photo and grinned mischievously and whispered "Well, well, Casanova. Just remember who you are before dragging her up to … wherever" The comment hit Harry like a ton of bricks and he blushed furiously even though his original thoughts were innocent.

"Don't drag me down to your level of thinking; I merely thought she looked familiar" He retorted angrily "And I want to remind you not to heavily expose them to the real danger"

"And I need to remind you that they are muggle police, they are law enforcement and they know about danger as much as you and I …" Ron retorted but then noticed his mistake "Well, not as much as you, mate. But you know the idea. And you know that this is the quickest way to gather information about that muggle criminal Muerte is from someone who knows him very well"

"I know, but still …" Harry tried to argue but he knew that Ron's reasons were quite strong. So, his reply came out as heavy sigh which Ron answered with a smile and a pat on the back before he turned back to the screen.

"Union Towers, isn't it the same place I will live in?" The red head asked Dick who answered joyfully "That's not all man, you are her new neighbor, this is the only way you can become friendly enough to gain her trust, ain't it, Wes?"

Harry regained his composure and directed the attention of the team towards him "Everybody listen, we’ve got a situation here. Marcus Flint appears to be in an alliance with a muggle Drug Lord named 'Muerte', they are both our main objectives and they are to be eliminated immediately. This cannot be done with simple improvising, but with a well structured plan" he flicked his wand and a piece of chalk started to levitate and write on the board.

"The death eaters are on a killing spree, three victims have been claimed by them, and the muggle police are in a state of confusion because they can't detect magic usage. Our goal for now is to discover the spell used on the victims and trace it back to its source, this can be done by plotting the area of the crimes and estimate the initial place of their appearance, which is might be HQ, a flue-outlet, or just another abandoned building"

He turned to his team and stated "Now, Ron will be our main contact in the muggle world, you will work with Detective Granger and her colleagues. Dick, you will be our muggle artifact expert here in the HQ; you will exchange shifts with Ron on his days off, also you are our surveillance expert and your job is to monitor the perimeter of the HQ with Vladimir as your point wizard. And you have to provide us with a method to 'bug' any encountered death eater with tracking charms and muggle surveillance devices"

Harry then turned to the last team member "Sofia, you will be with the crime scene investigators; DIP as they call it. Do not show your real face and always keep your metamorph up. Is everything's clear" They all nodded, and Harry cracked a smile and stated "Now … We have a crime scene to investigate"

* * *

Hermione and Pierce reached the crime scene and flashed their badges "Detectives Granger and McLaden, what do we got" Hermione said in a professional way.

A female investigator answered her immediately "Good morning to you detective, we've got a female victim this time, mid-thirties, average height, guts exploded with unknown weapons, no burns, no gunpowder traces. She appeared to be alive for three to five minutes after the weapon hit, because she had crawled out of this place" a blood stream was leading to a backdoor of a diner. The investigator continued "a blood sample was taken from her body and the blood stream" Hermione interrupted suddenly "Can I have the sample results, please"

The investigator was startled by the sudden request "We've just collected the samples and it will take some time before the results appear …" Hermione looked at her in disappointment "Well, that's not a good answer. If you plan to work with me you have to be faster than this Detective"

"Laura Hillston" The detective answered "Well Laura, this is my rule, you will do your job at my own pace or leave it to someone better. I will not allow anyone to slow me down, Okay" she looked intently to the young woman who nodded with the shock expression still on his face. Hermione then proceeded to the diner.

"Damn that was cold, she almost was gonna faint" Pierce exclaimed with excitement "I hope I don't cross swords with you darlin'"

Hermione snorted but didn't comment. They both entered the diner and saw the owner there.

"Detective Granger; and you are …" she said looking to a middle-aged Hispanic female witness who seemed to have just been out of a shock.

"Mercedes Lopez, call me Meche"

"Are you feeling alright, Meche" Hermione said with true sympathy who nodded shakingly "I'm Okay, considering the fact that I've just witnessed a murder"

"OK, Meche … would you be troubled if you answered a few questions" Said the female detective as she pulled out her notebook "Not at all, Please detective have a seat. Do you want anything to drink?"

"No thank you" Hermione then began the questioning "Now, what do you know about the victim"

"Her name is Tina, she was a regular customer, and quite friendly too, but in the last three days she was a bit jumpy, especially every time someone opens the door" Hermione started scribbling down her notes "Did she mention why she was jumpy?"

"No, but last night she said that he is coming for her and he will kill her" answered the waitress

"Can you describe what happen last night?"

"She was having her regular meal at that table, when someone entered, then I saw her face go pale very quick"

"Can you describe the person who entered?" Hermione got interested as the other woman continued "He was a man, a tall one, and was wearing a long robe with a hood too, which was weird, it wasn’t a cold night to wear something thick, all what I could see was a quick glance and it was the scariest face I've ever seen"

"Nothing else" Asked Hermione while writing "No, he quickly fixe his hood before I take a better look"

She couldn't help but to feel disappointed but she knew nothing comes easy in her job "So, what was the woman's reaction when she saw him?"

"As I said, she went pale, the man sat down on the chair opposite to her and whispered something, and she then stumbled on her way to the toilets, he drank some of her coffee then followed her. The last thing I heard was an explosion and her screaming; I ran to the toilets and saw her walking then crawling through back door, I followed her and saw the hooded man by the corner and then he disappeared …"

"You mean left the scene" Hermione corrected her but the waitress insisted "No I mean disappeared literally, as in 'Now you see me, Now you don't' as the magicians say" Meche was talking seriously.

Hermione looked silently at the middle-aged woman and then asked "Are you on some sort of medications?"

"I am not and I do not do drugs, detective, I speak the truth. He's just disappeared" the other woman took offense in the accusation as she replied

"Well … Logic says no one can disappear just like that"

"I told you, this is what I saw. If you don't believe me it's your problem senorita" Meche said impatiently, and Hermione didn't push too hard to that matter anymore, and tried to change the subject.

"No problem, I'll look into that matter personally. Have you seen anything else that grabbed your attention?"

"No, not really, but Tina said something, like 'Death hungers' or 'Death Eaters' or something"

"Death Eaters ..." Hermione said in confusion "I haven't heard of anything like that, maybe some satanic cult nonsense"

"I don't know, it is your job to know"

"Thank you for your time Meche"

"Always happy to help the law"

The questioning ended and Hermione looked around for Pierce, who just came out of the toilets with a sick look on his face.

"That … Was disgusting" He stated as always, Hermione asked him slyly "What Pierce, someone threw on you?"

"Worse, there is blood and guts everywhere …" He said sickly

"Well … What do you expect in a murder scene, ice-cream?" she said without changing her sneer, then said seriously "Doesn't matter, haven't you heard what the lady was saying"

"No, I was enjoying myself with the bloodbath"

"Well you behave seriously for once for God's sake … What I was saying that she saw the murderer then he just disappeared, in thin air"

"Whoa … She must've been doing drugs or somethin'"

"That what I said, but she denied fiercely. And she said that the victim said something, like 'Death Hungers' or 'Death Eaters'"

"Death Eaters" Pierce eyes looked blankly at her for a second, then he said "Nah, Never heard of that"

"Same here, for that I want you to search for information about any satanic cult that is pertaining to this name"

"Roger, my favorite detective" Pierce said joyfully and she sighed hopelessly "Honestly …"

They exiting the diner and Hermione just saw investigator Laura coming from a nearby alley.

"What were you doing there" Hermione exclaimed in annoyance.

"Nothing …" Laura said coolly, earning her a muck look from Hermione "You know missy that we aren't allowed to dawdle around aimlessly, and that alley is far from the crime scene"

"Sorry" Laura said blankly, earning her a burst from Hermione "You remember what I said early; I will not allow anyone to slow me down"

"If you looked around you, you will notice that we have already finished packing up" Laura said with not changing in her face. Hermione didn't say anything more and made her way to the lab car.

"Bloody woman …" she muttered, and Pierce tried to cool her down

"Easy, easy, she did nothing serious"

Hermione sighed heavily and said "Sorry, I think this case is getting into my head, I will go back to the office think for a little bit"

"I'll fax any progress I get about this case" Pierce waved her goodbye and she headed towards the precinct. 

* * *

Harry wasn't away from the crime scene, in fact, he was in the nearby alley were Laura was, who was Sofia in disguise; she played her role quite nicely and used her anatomy experience in the investigation. After she recorded everything she could on scene, she secretly made a copy and headed for the alley to handle it to Harry; who waited until the detectives left then headed for the crime scene by himself, he first raised a temporary anti-muggle ward then began his investigation. The blood trail seems to contain considerable amount of magic, but there are some traces which seems to be different from the major amount, that means that the victim was with magical heritage. Harry cannot seem to be able to determine the curse, it is hard without inspecting the body itself, but by the sheer volume of magic he found in the blood trail, he assumed it was a curse, and a strong one it is, he placed his assumption ranging from the acid curse to bone exploding and organ decay curses. He then followed the blood trace to its origin, and was not surprised with what he saw the in the toilets given the experience he had fighting the death eaters, but after thorough investigation, he excluded the acid curse from the list, after all he couldn't pinpoint the exact curse until he get a clear look onto the body.

Harry then walked out of the toilets and toward the main counter where Mercedes was, she was turning her back, and when she felt the movements behind her she said without looking "We're close, as a matter of fact we won't open until the police remove their freakin' tape from around the diner"

"I'm a private investigator, and I have some questions to you please" Harry said the first thing came to his mind.

"I'm not answering anymore questions, now if you please, I need to lie down"

Harry took the liberty to pour some juice for both of them and sneakily slipped a few drops of Veritaserum in her glass and handed it to her "I only need a few questions and then I won't bother you anymore"

She took the glass and drank it shakily; he then asked her some questions and wasn't satisfied with the answers. He resorted to an invasive approach to extract an answer that satisfies him … Legilimency. To his satisfaction, he saw everything happened with every minor detail. After he extracted the wanted information, he obliviated Mercades and left the scene.

He began to trace the magic that has emitted from the suspect's body beginning from the point where he apparated until he reached an abandoned building with a ruined fireplace, he tested the fire place for flue-networking, and it was positive, he then traced the fireplace back to the starting point. Unfortunately, it was a fireplace in another abandoned building, and the magic trace here seems to be colder. He memorized the place and returned to the first fireplace after placing a delayed Reductor curse on the second one, and did the same to the first one too.

He then returned to the HQ, and hoped that Sofia and Ron had better luck than him …


	4. First Encounter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first encounter between IAST and the Neo Death Eaters, and the introduction of new powers

"Wake up, Ron … Wake up" Ron heard the distant sound of his girlfriend calling him from afar; he mumbled in his sleep "Five more minutes, Lav"

"Wake up, Ron" The voice came nearer and nearer, and Ron emitted a soft groan and stirred in his bed.

"Lumos" The red-headed auror felt his eyelids heating up "GYAAAH!!" He shrieked in pain as the immense light scorched his eyes behind the lids and quickly covered them with his hands "Nox" when the voice turned off the spell he was able to open his eyes.

"Oh, it's you Ginny" He stated in a mumble, and then it hit him "GINNY!!! WHAT THE BLOODY ARE YOU DOING HERE?!!" Ron senses now came around when he saw his baby sister standing at the foot of his bed in his flat … In America.

"Well … None of your bloody business, really; but since you are my brother, unfortunately …" Ginny stated indifferently while her brother was still wearing a puzzled look "My application has been accepted"

"What application?" Ron inquired.

"My residency" She replied.

"What residency?" He asked again.

"Emergency Medicine" And she answered

"What hospital?" The interrogation continued.

"A muggle hospital" And she was still calm.

"That ain't gonna happen" He concluded firmly.

"Mum approves, so you're opinion is invalid" And that was the real conclusion.

Ron mumbled in annoyance "Great … Just great. Not only my opinions are useless, but now I have to protect a baby sister who is working in a war zone"

"I am not a baby anymore" Ginny interjected with a fury-shaken voice "I fought in the last war and so has Mum. Stop treating me as a dead weight" her rage almost got and she was ready to pop her brother a hard one.

"Look, Ginny" Ron said in a calm tone "I do not doubt your abilities. It's just …" his tone became firm "This war is far worse than the former one; we don't know how the Death Eaters will react now that they are leaderless" he looked at her eyes and stated calmly "I don't want to lose another sibling"

The statement cause a pang in her heart; how low of him to remind her of their dead brother, Percy. They stood in silence for a good five minutes before a sudden voice pulled them out of their gloom.

"Aren't we a happy family?" a voice suddenly came from behind them, they both jumped and gasped.

"Harry, Please!" Ron exclaimed clutching his chest "Not every time" Ginny, on the other hand, jumped and hugged him tightly "HARRY!!"

"Ginny … Please … Breathe" Harry said in stifled voice and she released him from her clutch and said "I'm so happy to see you"

"Me, too" The raven-haired auror replied, regaining his breath "You have certainly developed the Weasley's bear hug. So, to what we owe this pleasure"

"She's working here, now" Ron replied indifferently causing Harry to look at him in surprise "What?!"

"I applied for a residency program at a hospital in Los Angeles downtown and they accepted it …" The red-headed woman stated in genuine excitement "Do you know what that means?! I will be the first healer who can do both magical and muggle medical procedures"

Although Harry was happy with the idea, the location of the mentioned hospital was problematic. It was near the action zone … Too near.

"Ginny, look …" He has to reason with her "I'm very happy to hear such great news, but I think it's better if you apply elsewhere" he flashed her an unconvincing smile and said "I hear that the hospitals in Canada are pretty good"

"No … Not you too, Harry" Ginny shock her head in disbelief "You are the last person I've thought to oppose me"

"Ginny … I'm just saying-" He tried to calm her down but was cut midway "NO!!" Ginny yelled, "Everybody wants to dictate my life, it is my life, not yours" and she left the room in fury.

"Wow … That was something you don't see everyday" The irony of Ron's statement made harry crack a frustrated smile and say "She's your sister after all, mate"

"Yet she's more Weasley than me" Ron replied with a frown.

\-----------------------------------------------

"Good Morning, Pierce" Hermione entered her office and greeted her partner with a rare smile.

"AAAAHH … Yo, Herms; you look chipper today" Pierce said after a big yawn and walked to the coffee machine.

"You do look tired yourself" Said the bushy-haired detective but she didn't get an answer from him. She walked towards him and saw that he dozed off in front of the coffee machine "PIERCE!!!"

"Cream or sugar?" The sleepy detective replied out of the blue then he noticed the look on her face "What?!"

"You look terrible" Said Hermione and he replied while pouring coffee "Let's see you wake up all sunny and happy with a daughter playing horsy on your back" the comment earned him a short chuckle from his partner

"That is bound to keep you awake …" She retorted "How is your lovely wife, by the way?"  
  
The mention of made him cheerful and awake like the best coffee cup in the world "She's doing well actually, she got absorbed in maternity, and she even left her job to look after Sherry"

"Well, that is nice. But it's not for everyone" Hermione remarked "I won't trade this job for a hundred babies"

"You make it sound so awful" Pierce stated "Anyway, I reckon that the new detective is coming today, ain't he?"

"Oh yeah, but I'm not raising my hopes up this time" Hermione said in frustration "I just hope that he learn him place quickly and leave the real work to us. I'm done sweeping after greenhorns"

By the time she finished her sentence, the door opened and Ron entered the room. Hermione's had never seen someone that tall or with hair that red.

"Hello" Hermione said formally "I'm detective Hermione Granger and this is detective Pierce McLaden" Pierce smiled and gave him his casual wave "Call me Pierce, buddy"

"Hi, I'm Ronald Weasley, Just call me Ron"

"You are British, aren’t you?" Hermione said in more statement manner than a question "I've never seen you in Scotland Yard when I was there"

"Actually, I was working in Devonshire" Ron said hastily

"A rural inspector, then?" Hermione showed a small frown. She knew her share from those rural inspectors and he did have the same honest look in his eyes; however, he also stood in apparent confidence that she didn't observe in any of the former newbies; He might not be a simpleton, after all …

"It's good to have additional help, especially with the case we have at hand" Pierce interrupted her thoughts and patted Ron on the back "We have a tough one right here that is so hard to crack for us oldies … Consider it a rite of passage in our team"

"Well, I don't know anything about this so called 'Rite', but at least tell me the American protocols in your work; I'm new, after all" Ron stated playing the role of the newbie to the letter, then Pierce handed him the case file.

"Well … As it says on the file, there is a Drug Lord on the loose, and this particular drug lord killed Hermione's late partner" Pierce briefed Ron while glancing at Hermione, who had mixed look of fury and sadness on her face "It might look like a regular prison break. But the strange thing is the way he broke out of jail, no alarms went off, and no footprints were found around the jail … Not a single trace"

"Did you check his cell for evidence?" The red-head asked while eyeing the photos of the said cell. However, Hermione replied with a shrug "We weren't allowed since it was a federal prison. Those FBI blokes are the worst creatures you'll ever encounter … Acting so important and all"

"Actually, this is not the case but I'm giving you a head start" Pierce resumed "After his escape, a series of homicides occurred around the city, the murderer seems to acquire an unknown weapon, this weapon cause a massive explosion of the targeted part of the victim. The most interesting thing is that the weapon doesn't leave any burning marks or any trace of gunpowder"

"Have you predicted the motive behind murder" Ron asked

"Not entirely, we are still researching the backgrounds of the victims in addition to the murder weapon identification which, obviously, we do not possess" Pierce said

"Well … If you thought about it, you can have the weapon or at least a glimpse of it if you know where the murderer will be next" Ron state calmly, and Pierce and Hermione looked at each other rather impressed, then they looked back at him.

"What?" Ron said nervously, and Pierce chuckled "Nothing, just Hermione here thinks you are far better than the last dimwit"

"Well … Thank you" Ron said in more nervousness as Pierce patted his head "Let's review the evidence at hand … Where is the map?"

\------------------------------------------

Harry entered the HQ greeting everyone, and then advanced to Dick's desk "Morning Dick; is everything in order?"

"Harry Potter, sir, the plan seems to be working; and the camera bug in auror Weasley's shirt is doing a great job" Dick said in delight.

"Good" Harry replied coolly, and conjured a jug, charming it to pour butterbeer to everyone. Then he resumed "Now, I want debrief. First, Vlad … How is the area around the headquarters?"

"Area is secured, sir" Vladimir stated

Harry then turned to the metamorph "Sofia, any progress with the autopsy"

"Sorry sir, the pathologist seemed to be immersed with the autopsy and she didn't leave the morgue until past midnight" Sofia stated

Harry retorted immediately "No excuses Sofia, you know the rule, I want the autopsy report on my desk by three o'clock sharp, no further excuses are accepted"

Harry then turned spoke to the lot of them "Our plan seems to be in order; if my calculations are correct, the muggles by now will know the order of murder but they don't know that the victims are witches and wizards, now all what we need to do is to wait for the death eaters at the suspected crime scene. Our top priority is to make sure that no murder will occur and no innocent civilians are involved in the struggle, the police detectives will be considered civilians because they have no power in dealing with the death eaters"

He then looked at them intently "I know the International Auror Policy accepts a maximum of 10% civilian casualty, but hear me well, I will not tolerate even one civilian casualty. I chose you because you had the best profiles I've ever read among the world famous aurors. I know that I'm about your age, but I like to teach you a lesson I've learned a long time ago, love conquers all"

Harry then turned his back on them and continued "Dumbledore was my mentor, he was the father I didn't have, he gave his life in order to protect mine" He stood there in silence for the memory was too painful to recall, his subordinates respected his silence although they felt a mix of awe and pride that Harry potter himself is telling them the true version of his epic story.

"Another lesson I've learned that day, whoever died for love did not die in vain, his death gave me my immunity against the killing curse, it still hurts though, but it will never kill me. I've avenged my mentor's death and killed the traitor years later" He fought the tears as he recalled the memories of his mentor and turned around to face them with a sad smile "When you love someone, you will not hesitate to put your life on the line. I understood it, and I hope you, too, understand it"

"We understand sir" The threesome said in unison, and Harry smiled at them warmly in a brotherly manner. Harry then reassumed his leader pose and stated

"Now we will assume our usual positions with some changes. Auror Howards, you will be in contact with Auror Blanc through the cam-bug and the invisible headphone from now on. Auror Blanc, you will follow up on the autopsy progress and send the results to auror Howards so he can send it to the Lab, Professor Malfoy will be overjoyed with the work, he told me that the routine is nearly killing him" Harry said the last part with a knowing smile

"Auror Pavlov, you will be my second in tonight ambush against the death eaters, your skills in the dark arts might come in handy. Two other teams will give us support if needed, but they will not do so unless instructed to, in the mean time you will patrol the HQ area and add more protection wards around it". Harry took a deep breath then continued "Now, I've got some business to attend to. For the time being you will proceed with your orders, dismiss"

\-----------------------------------------------

"No, no, and no detective Granger" Captain Maronski yelled at the young detective with his face about to explode, "I will not send a whole squad of police force after one person even if he was a lunatic murderer, I will be a laughing stock of the whole precinct"

Hermione protested "Are you saying that you rather protect your reputation than catch murderers, Sir?" Maronski's face reddened even more "I'm saying that you re-evaluate your theories before presenting them, detective …"

"I already cross-checked my 'Suspicions'" Hermione retorted stressing her words "and I'm telling you that this work is not a one-man's work, it is the work of an organization, one like the cartel"

"Your past experience with the cartel is influencing your decision, detective. I need solid evidence before I release an order for a response unit" Maronski stated.

"It is not my hunch, it is detective Ronald's deduction, and it's quite reasonable assumption given the-" She said before he interjected her "Oh, now you depend on a greenhorn to do the thinking. Good job, detective" Maronski sneered

"He is not a novice, you know. He maybe is new here but that doesn't mean he is inexperienced, it is you who is acting so immature" Hermione was now losing her tranquility.

"Detective Granger, do not forget the rank difference" Maronski's face has reddened

"If you want to keep the difference intact, you better give me something to work with" Hermione said in a warning tone.

"How dare you" Maronski hissed, but thought about the choice he had "OK, you want support, I'll give you support" he grinned evilly

\-------------------------------------------

Harry apparated near the Downtown General Hospital, Ginny's workplace, he entered through the main door and saw Ginny along with a muggle doctor and a cop trying to tie down a raging stoned heavyweight criminal, the guy seemed to be in rage.

"Jody!!! Hurry up with the straps, will ya'!!" Ginny bellowed at the nurse who was clearly struggling. No one seemed to notice Harry who quietly moved behind the raging man and pressed a point on his neck directly under chin, and the man then blacked out in moment.

"Harry!! Nice timing" Ginny exclaimed and jumped at him with a fierce hug. He barely kept his balance saying "Ginny please, if you wanted to break someone's ribs you should've done it to this bloke" she chuckled and replied "Not to worry, you are in a hospital aren't you?"

"Sir, I'm sorry but-" The cop interjected awkwardly "Thank you for your assistance. However, I have to ask your name and what you did to the suspect, for the record"

"Harry Potter, private detective" Harry replied calmly "And I merely pressed his carotid artery and caused his a temporary fainting, he will be up and about in a few minutes. You, however, must revise your techniques if you want to protect and serve"

The cop face reddened and he walked back to the thug's stretcher without a word. "Ouch!" said Ginny "Can't you be nice to the authorities for once, Harry?"

"I am the authority" Harry replied calmly earning him a chuckle. She then pointed at her fellow doctor who was still at awe of what just happened and introduced her "Alicia Adams, my colleague"

Harry now was looking to the blue eyed, blond haired woman who was looking at him intently; he smiled at her and offered his hand "Harry Potter". She shook his hand without moving her eyes from him, which made him uncomfortable, she lessened her gaze and smiled at him "Pleased to meet you, Ginny haven't stopped talking about you all day"

"Pleasure is mine" he said glancing at Ginny in a knowing way "She is still so frank and honest, isn't she?"

"Pretty much" Alicia stated "By the way, I didn't ask about your profession Mr. Potter, but I doubt it is a desk job considering the fact that you knocked down that rampaging bull of a thug so easily", she was now eyeing him again, she never saw such green eyes, they were so warm, yet bearing something she can't explain, and his overall gesture was … Well … 'Wow' she said to herself, she thought she was hallucinating, but she could feel something beneath that calm exterior of his, yet she felt safe … Somehow.

"Well … you can say I had taken some lessons in self-defense just I case I needed to use it" Harry answered her question in a calm tone and Ginny continued excitedly "Yeah! You see, Harry is very capable; he's an au …"

"A Private Detective" Harry interrupted at the right moment casting a blaming gaze upon her; she caught his cue and resumed "And a bloody famous in UK too"

"Really?" Alicia said giving Harry an odd look "I never thought that the private investigators would look so strong and … Attractive" Harry was now in a state of shock. Ginny grinned at him cheekily and said "I think Harry is here to tell me something personal"

"Too bad, I wish I was the one he wants to speak with about that 'personal' issue. Well, see you next time … Handsome" Alicia threw her most seductive look at Harry and walked away slightly brushing against his side with her hip making him startle a bit.

"Ginny, please tell me that she didn't flirt with me" Harry asked while still in a shock and Ginny giggled and answered him "I bit she did, Harry. It's not everyday a girl meets a good-looking guy, and Alicia is not the type who let this chance slip by"

"I'm not that type of guys" Harry said in disapproval

"I know, but when a girl sees you; she can't wait for you to make the move; she make it herself. You got that thing in you, it is called attractiveness" Ginny stated giggling even more.

Harry shook his head and regained his composure "Anyway, I'm here to place some protection around the place"

Ginny frowned and asked "Why? I don't need any?"

"You do" Harry answered firmly "We are in a state of war, and your kinship with Ron would place you in great peril. In addition, this hospital is in the middle of the warzone" he saw the frustration in her eyes, so said calmly "I know that you are capable of defending yourself, but your muggle friends here aren't, and if the death eaters attacked, they well not target you alone, every person here will be a target; you must understand this Ginny"

Sadness befell Ginny and she nodded in understanding "I understand Harry" Harry smiled at her warmly "Now, now … Why the long face, it's not like the death eaters have attacked already"

"It's just …" She said, and her shoulders began to shake, and she threw herself on Harry crying "I HATE THEM, I hate those monsters calling themselves death eaters. They killed all of my friends, Neville, Luna, Parvati, Seamus, and Dean, all of them. I don't want to suffer any more sorrow, what if they killed Ron, what if they killed … You"

Harry felt as clueless as he was when she cried on his shoulder the last time, but he cuddled her anyway, and brushed her tears with his thumb soothing her "Shhhh, you are a strong girl Ginny, I do not like to see my strong sister that frail. I can't bring the dead, but I can promise you one thing, I will not let them make you suffer the loss again, is that OK?" Ginny nodded in his chest, and he kissed her forehead brotherly.

"Now, I want you to show me around so I can place the wards correctly, I can't seem to trust anyone from the ministry to put them on without blazing the hospital into human Steak House" and Ginny giggled under her tears and they made their way through the hospital.

\------------------------------------------------

"Team Thirteen!! No shit!" Pierce exclaimed offensively. Ron was confused "What's wrong with team thirteen"

Pierce took a deep breath from his cigarette ignoring the glares from Hermione before breathing out soundly, and answered "I'll tell you what's wrong … Team Thirteen is the most incompetent team in the force, their leader was killed in action, and was replaced by a newbie; the team itself consists of rookies. In other words, THEY ARE A GODDAMN LIABILITY"

Hermione patted her raging partner on the shoulder and stated "But they are our only chance of intercepting the killer. Maronski is right, we can't barge into a place without good evidence at hand, which we don't have for now"

Ron excused himself for a minute; Pierce shook his head trying to relieve his anger in a less offensive way, and then asked Hermione "What's now?" Hermione shrugged in a reply "Proceed with the plan with you as the sniper?"

"Me?" Pierce scowled in disapproval "Who well watch your back?" Hermione answered calmly "Weasley"

"Great, just great … First Maronski acts like an asshole, then you act like a fifteen-year-old schoolgirl who trust the first good-looking stranger smiling at her" Pierce said in a fury earning him a frown and a yell from Hermione "Pierce!! Stop acting like an arse yourself!"

Pierce frowned at her then mumbled half-heartedly "Oh, alright Miss Holmes, we'll do it your way this time"

Hermione huffed in anger "Good …"

\--------------------------------------------

Ron contacted Dick via the invisible headphone just after he reached a safe location and asked him to hook him up with Harry, and the following call took place.

"Harry, can you hear me …"

"… Loud and clear, Ron …"

"The muggles are ready, but it seems the police strike force they are using is weak and inexperienced and was not issued full permission, according to the detectives …"

"Odd … Weren't they convinced with the path of murder?"

"Not them, the muggle captain is, he will not discharge a larger more competent force without enough evidence"

"Which we don't have at the moment, and we don't have the luxury of time to look for one either …"

"What should we do now …"

"… I think it is up to us now, I was hoping to let the muggles get the small fish so we can keep it low until the big fish appears. Flint will not act by himself twice in a row; not very brave of him, but it shows his foxy persona. Ron, try to protect muggle detectives and escort them away from war zone as soon as possible, I do not want any casualties on the first encounter …"

"You can trust me on that …"

"… I know Ron, that's why you are my best mate. Over and out …"

\----------------------------------------

"Team Thirteen, confirm your status"

"… Eagle One standing by …"

"… Eagle Two standing by …"

"Roger, do not move until the order is given directly by me …" Hermione stated

"… Roger, Team Thirteen on hold …"

Hermione exhaled nervously, then contacted Pierce

"Eagle Watch, confirm your status …"

"… Eagle Watch here, it's a nice view from up here, everything seems to be in order …" Pierce stated

"Roger Eagle Watch, you are on the identification mode only, do not fire a bullet without further orders …"

"… As you say lassie …"

"Over and out …" Hermione ended the conversation with a smile.

She then turned to Ron who was waiting calmly and asked him "Nervous?" He answered with more calm "A little, you?" she flashed a nervous smile and answered "A lot" She then asked him "Have you made a hypothesis on the murderer?"

Ron thought for a second then said cautiously "Well … If this case is anything similar to the one I had back home, then I think we will find a person, man or woman, with an unstable persona, and a lot of bigotry and fanaticism to a certain belief"

Hermione looked at him intently "That's the most detailed assumption I've ever heard. Well, my hypothesis is that we will find a satanic cult member in order to bring the devil to the world" Ron was amused at how close she is to the truth

"Eagle Nest, this is Eagle Watch. I think I have visual …" the radio screamed

"Eagle Watch this is Eagle Nest, can you have more details?"

" … Negative, they are too far. Wait, they are moving, they entered the distant alley, visual lost …"

"Damn" Hermione muttered

"… Another visual, it's near. Wait, what the hell, it's the same visual from the distant alley"

"How can it be" Hermione said in a shock. Ron looked alarmed and muttered "Our Killer is here"

" … There are five targets, cloaked and hooded, they are moving toward the condemned. Wait, another visual, two targets, they are walking to the first visual, they stopped, they appear to be engaging in a conversation"

Hermione shouted through the walky-talky "Keep the passive stance, Eagle Watch …"

"Roger … Hey, there seems to be a change in the atmosphere, winds are blowing out of nowhere … Wait! They seem to be taking offensive stances; the teams are breaking up into two skirmishes"

Hermione moved and shouted at Ron "Hurry, we need to get closer", and she reached a good distance for her to see the suspects. "Hermione, wait, it's dangerous" Ron followed her with a shudder, because he knew what the cause of this sudden shift in the atmosphere is … Harry's elemental magic is on

"What is dangerous?" she said hastily, but her eyes caught the answer.

Hermione witnessed in awe a fight she never seen in her so-called dangerous job. As two of the five suspects engaged in a fight with one of the two at the doorsteps of the building, while the remaining three engaged in a more gruesome fight with the other one, who looked like someone plugged him into a power plant.

"What are those weapons?" Hermione said as she seemed frightened

"I can't tell, but they look like some kind of beam-weapons" Ron answered with the answer he rehearsed on.

"It is definitely not laser" Hermione said in disapproval

Ron started to think how he and Harry would explain themselves in front of their superiors for allowing muggles to witness a magic duel up-close, because he knew that no memory charm can erase such shocking memory.

"This is Eagle Watch, asking for a permission to go hot" The radio shouted

"Permission granted … Hunt them down, Pierce" She replied

"Roger, duck hunt is on" Pierce placed the sniper rifle on the roof edge, and fired several shots at different targets. His eyes widened as he saw what happened

"Eagle Watch, why I don't see any suspect down …" his radio shouted

"I've fired five damn shots, but it seems that there is some kind of electromagnetic defense field surrounding them …"

Hermione was about to faint when she heard what Pierce has said, and looked to Ron for explanation, but an expressionless face was all what she seem to get, questions started to her mind, but she didn't say anything.

"This is Eagle One; requesting permission to go hot"

Hermione looked to Ron for council, who shook his head in disapproval "No, they can't handle this"

"But, an innocent person is going to be killed" she protested weakly

"If Pierce couldn't take them out while he's in cover, imagine the carnage if those murderers saw their assailants" He said firmly "Your decision will cause the death of more people"

Hermione sighed soundly before turning on the radio "Permission … Denied. all teams, standby for further orders"

"Shit, one of them spotted me …" she heard Pierce through the radio, her heart started to beat quickly as she saw a beam of red light making its way to the location of her partner.

"No" she screamed as the red light exploded soundly and turned in fury to the caster "You bastard" she took her gun and aimed it at the group which caused her to blow her cover.

"No, Hermione don't" Ron jumped to grab her but the death eater fired a curse at her.

"God!!" Hermione's eyes widened at the looming disaster. However, the curse exploded a few feet away from her and sent her to fly to the nearest wall. The last thing she saw before she lost consciousness was a blurry image of a green-eyed man brandishing fire with his bare hands.

\--------------------------------------------

Hours before the encounter, Harry was in the hospital taking his time in placing some really strong wards around, he then disapparated to the HQ and ordered Vlad to join him in the ambush, and they both apparated to the ambush location which was a a condemned building on a side road.

Both of them were near the location right now, they hid in an alley next to the building "When the fight begins you will run to the building and prevent them frim reaching the target" Harry said in assertive matter.

"But how can I know who is the target, sir" Vlad said in confusion, and Harry answered "That is the target" he threw him a photo of an extremely thin middle-age man "Rabastan Lestrange; one of the old guard of Voldemort" Vlad's shudder did not go unnoticed, but Harry chose to ignore it anyway "It seems that Flint is cleaning the house" he then did not add another word which Vlad took it as a silence order, and they waited for the murderer.

They hadn't have to wait for long since they hear the distinctive crack of apparition, they glanced over the direction of the crack and saw five figures coming out of the opposite alley, the death eaters.

"They are here …" Harry stated, and ushered Vlad to follow him. They exited the alley causing the death eaters to halt suddenly at their sight.

"I didn't expect to see you that soon, Potter" a female voice sneered from under the hood of the middle death eaters.

"Parkinson, what a pleasant surprise" Harry replied in a mocking tone to the death eater who removed her hood to reveal her pale yet beautiful face and silky black hair Pansy Parkinson; the ice queen of the House of Slytherin and the ex-wife of his former rival, Draco Malfoy.

"Long time no see, eh Potter?" Pansy continued her sneer.

"Not that I'm that anxious to meet you" he replied with even a colder tone.

"Aww, aren't we a bit angry" she said cheekily trying to hide her trembling, and moved her gaze away from those fiery green eyes of his and checked out his second.

"You took the lives of many of my close friends, and caused the grief of the rest; I will never forgive you" by the end of the of the sentence, cold winds blew around them, and the death eaters looked at Harry in horror; even Vladimir shuddered in fear when he saw Harry's face.

Pansy couldn't believe that she would live to see the day that the scrawny boy whom she used to ridicule in Hogwarts turn into this beast of a warrior, yet she has to admit that he was no longer the scrawny confused boy but a man whose physique matched his skills.

"I think I must ask you to surrender or leave at peace, no one is going to die today" Harry voice echoed through the vacant street.

"Don't bet on your muggle support, Potter" Harry's jaw tensed at the statement but dissolved quickly; Pansy looked at him in a mix of seduction and sneer "You think you can outsmart me Potter"

"Not you, just your oafs" Harry said calmly "And Vlad and I are more than enough to stop you"

"Never, you will not stop the purge and the pure blood will rule again" She hissed in anger in which Harry replied indifferently "No one wants the pure bloods to control everything in the Wizard World this time, it's a lost cause, and you know yourself that no pureblood has ever bested me, a half-blood"

Yes, she had to admit it. This boy, no, this young man has bested the most powerful wizard she ever knew, even after Flint has assumed the command of the death eaters, she still disapproved the fact that a wizard like Flint – although is considered the most skillful and powerful among death eaters – is succeeding a powerful wizard like Voldemort. She thinks that this position must be reserved for someone as powerful as Voldemort, someone like Harry Potter; if only he sees their cause from their point of vision, but he is not, and she hates this fact so much.

Also, another reason for her to hate him is that she fancies him; yes, she hates it but she admits that she felt some kind of attraction. What bugs her more is that he is not a pure blood, and her dedication to the former Dark Lord's cause is what keeping her from admitting her love of him – who never showed her anything but pure joy and loyalty – she was still attracted to him, and because of that she began to hate him.

"Now drop your wands or die fighting, your choice" Harry announced one last time and assumed a fighting stance; Pansy replied with a stance of her own "You dream potter" and the fight started

No one of these fresh death eaters has ever saw Harry Potter in action, they only heard of it from other senior death eaters. And when they witnessed his moves with their own eyes, they couldn't believe he was a normal wizard, actually, they never believed he was human at all.

Harry himself was immersed in battle and didn't notice Vlad struggling to keep the death eaters from entering the house, which was protected by an anti-apparition ward, and fail miserably. He had never been in so much action since the days of the final battle, though this time he has a surprise for those poor mutts.

He heard gun shots from above and without thinking conjured Absolvo shield around himself, and the death eaters did the same.

"That muggle bastard" and she blindly shot a strong curse toward the place where the bullets came from; Harry felt anger flowing through his veins.

After a few minutes of apparition and spell exchange, he stopped conjuring spells and started to dodge curses only, which perplexed Pansy.

"What's the matter Potter, are your so-called powers failing you?" she taunted with false sneer.

"You Wish" Harry replied slowly, and then he vanished from her sight, and for a second nobody seemed to know what's happened.

Pansy screamed as she felt pain searing through her right arm, and blood gushed out of a cut that opened suddenly in her upper arm it and she felt a surge electricity hit her body for a second which made her drop to her knees, she turned to ask her comrades for help and saw them standing silently with Harry between them, then suddenly both of them fell limply to the ground as if they were dolls lying in a blood pool with a gruesome cuts in their necks. She shivered when she moved her eyes to Harry; he was holding some sort of a blade.

"W-What Happened?" Pansy asked in fear and confusion

"Clearly I've won" He flashed the sword in front of her eyes "Using my trump card"

Her eyes widened in fear when she read the letters carved on the blade "Godric Gryffindor! Impossible!!" she exclaimed in horror "That sword was broken"

"It has been remade" and he placed the tip of the sword on her neck causing here heart to beat faster "Now, you well pay for the blood of my friends"

"Wait! Please!! I did not do anything" she pleaded in panic, he looked at her for a minute, then said one word "Liar"

"Please, believe me!! I didn't kill them, it was Flint's deed! It was him all along!" the woman stated in fear "Who informed you of tonight's attack?! Who do you think was the insider? … Please believe me"

Harry looked deeply into her pleading eyes and asked coldly "And why should I?" she trembled a bit then said "Because you can see the truth for yourself" he stood for a second, he sheathed the sword slowly, then said the word "Legilimens …"

Harry swam through the waves of memories, he saw her memories from Hogwarts, laughing with her friends and teasing other girls from other houses. The scenes suddenly shifted to the scene he wanted.

He saw his friends standing unarmed in an abandoned building in Hogsmeade while Marcus Flint and Pansy were pointing their wands at them, there was no fear in their eyes but angry and determined looks was there, they all seem to be ready to die. True Gryffindors, they were. He then heard Flint speak to Pansy "I'll leave you the pleasure of killing them". To his surprise he heard Pansy exclaim in shock "What? But they are unarmed. We won't benefit from killing them"

Flint hasn't changed his cool stance while answering "Yes, but it is fun, isn't it, and I'm bored of not killing someone for a long time"

She looked at him in disbelief, and then her face has changed to a firm expression "No, I will not murder any ... Any pure blood"

"Suite yourself, Avada Kedavra Infiniti" and multiple killing curses erupted from the end of his wand killing every one of his friends. Harry felt the pain seeping from his heart to his whole body and saw that Pansy was not in any better shape. He then change the scene quickly without thinking.

He saw a scene that caused a great shock run through him, he saw Draco holding Pansy in a tight hug while they were laughing, he never saw Pansy smiling, let alone laughing, she looked so calm and angelic when happy, she was no longer the ice queen of Slytherin. He looked for another scene and found one that he never thought he will see, she was walking with Draco with a toddler and both of them holding both her hands. She looked a lot like Pansy but with Draco's eyes; a happy family walking together. Suddenly, a death eater appeared and Draco drew his wand while Pansy tried to protect their daughter, but it was all in vain as the death eater fired a killing curse which hit the girl squarely in the head. He saw Draco tried to retaliate with the same spell but the culprit escaped, and Pansy cried painfully as she held her daughter's limp body. Harry himself felt sick at the view, then pulled himself out of her mind.

The first thing he saw was Pansy's face; pale in color and frozen tears were in her eyes, and he wanted to kick himself hard for forgetting a simple fact; Legilimensy subjugates the person to momentarily belief that the memories being recalled are new, which means that he made Pansy re-live her daughter's death as if it was just happening. In other words, he tortured her.

Pansy cried with immense grief that he only saw on parents' faces after the last wizard war, the feeling of your heart being torn apart. He held Pansy tightly and she sobbed loudly on his shoulder.

"Harry!! What happened, mate?!" Ron was coming, and saw the scene, he looked in confusion. But then Pansy said between her sobs "No one should bury their child, it should have hit me, it should've been me, I should be dead, and she should be alive", Harry brushed her hair in sympathy and tried to comfort her "No need to cry, they will all pay, I swear they will", Ron seemed to partially understand what's happening and bend his head with sorrow.

Pansy drifted into unconsciousness in Harry's arms, he left her body and turned to Ron "Order the aurors to collect the dead and send the stunned death eaters to the holding cells for interrogation", he looked at the direction of the building where Vlad was stunned down and resumed "Take care of Vlad and make sure you both return to the headquarters immediately, I want to know what happened as it seems they took out the victim"

"What about the muggles?" Ron asked

"Erase their memories" Harry stated calmly, and Ron looked annoyed but knew it was the right choice and nodded in agreement. Harry then got up and carried the unconscious woman "I'll take Pansy to the Hospital"

"Then we'll have to talk about everything" Ron stated as he looked at Harry's sword.

Harry nodded then disapparated to St. Mungos.


	5. Suspicions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the battle... Harry explains his the origin of hi new weapon

Ron looked at the space Harry used to occupy a moment ago, and then walked over to Hermione with his wand in his right hand. He prepared to fire the memory charm at her the moment she wakes up. However, he wanted to make sure how vivid her memories were in order to apply the proper strength of the charm, so he muttered the only solution 'Legilimens' and the strangest thing happened … He couldn't breach her mind.

'Legilimens' he called yet again but with no avail. He stood there for a second thinking it all over. He thought that unconscious people had the weakest defense against Legilimency, but now he was before a case that was quite the opposite.

Ron then came to a final decision, and holstered his wand back in its invisible pocket, then called forth the aurors from their hiding and ordered them to collect the bodies of the dead death eaters and bind the unconscious ones. After they finished their given duty he checked his watch; Hermione should awake by now.

As soon as he lowered his hand he heard her moaning, and she opened her eyes slowly. He picked her up and asked her in a concerned manner "Are you Okay?"

"Sore a bit, what happened?" She murmured in discomfort and he stated "It seems that the murderers escaped again" and she regained her full focus.

"WHAT?!" The detective cried in shock "But I saw that person, that … thing, killing two of them!!"

"Yes, but they took the bodies before we can get our hands on them" He lied yet again and she huffed in anger then asked the natural question "What about the victim?"

"Dead …" He answered bluntly making her even angrier.

"Bloody Hell! This is not my day" Hermione said as she walked over to the bar, and she remembered something "Pierce!!"

"Hermione stop!! It's dangerous!" Ron tried to stop her but she disregarded his plea and ran to the building that Pierce is on and scaled the stairs quickly with Ron running after her. When she reached the roof, they didn't find him, but they saw a large whole on the other side. When she was about to run to the floor just below the roof Ron stopped her.

"Wait, I'll go" He said "You call help" only he say anger in her eyes as he uttered those words.

"No …" Hermione said in a shaken voice "I will not lose another friend" He saw tears in her eyes as she spoke, and smiled at her calmly.

"You will not lose anyone, Hermione. But the floor will not support all of us and you have the radio" He said with the same smile "And I doubt that Pierce would want you to see his bare arse from beneath the rubble" his last remark earned him a sad giggle from her and angry protest from somewhere else.

"Hey!" They hear a croak from beneath them and when they looked they saw Pierce's face appear from under the rubble.

"PIERCE!!" Both detectives yelled and he answered "Would someone please come down and help me?" Ron ran down a floor and Hermione waited on the roof and started calling for help like he instructed her.

"I heard the whole thing by the way …" the injured detected stated "And while I have no bare 'arse' to show, I have a finger I'd like to show you once you dig up my hand" Ron smiled at his senior's comment. However, before he had the time to retort, the ground beneath them started to shake, and in a minute the floor beneath them collapsed.

"PIERCE!! RON!!" Hermione's heart fell at the scene before her and ran to the floor they used to occupy. She called them again and heard a muffled sound from beneath.

"Hermione, come down to the floor beneath you" She ran down one more floor and saw the Pierce, unconscious and heavily injured, with Ron, who surprisingly was not scratched at all.

"What happened?" She asked and the red head detective answered "The floor caved in, it was a miracle that we were not buried alive" as soon as he ended his sentence, two EMT personnel came from the door and he looked at Hermione who was puzzled by the whole incident "I think I have to escort Pierce to the hospital, he needs urgent medical attention"

"And I should check the crime scene" Hermione stated and started to descend the stairs, but not before she gave him a last deep glance which made him nervous.

The EMTs placed Pierce on a gurney and made their way down with Ron behind them, and they all rode to County General Hospital.

\-----------------------------------

By the time these events occurred, Harry was at the entrance St. Mungos Hospital for Magical Maladies – Southwest USA Branch; he entered hastily and was recognized by the reception employee almost immediately.

"I'll be damned, it's Harry Potter" she exclaimed and everybody at the reception area turned to see the newcomer.

"Thanks, thanks a lot for calling unwanted attention" Harry said scowling at the woman in front of him, who lowered her eyes with apology.

"Sorry, sir; I couldn't help but to notice that a celebrity such as yourself has graced us with his appearance …" she tried to appease him with silver tongue speech which he didn't care for "Well, this celebrity needs some help; you see, this woman here has sustained moderate physical injuries and severe mental ones, I need her to be attended by the best doctor you have"

"Okay, sir" She replied courteously and he added "And I want a secure flue connection to the Ministry of Magic"

"You can use the one in the Chief of Staff office, is that all sir"

"No … I want four security guards to be places at her ward; two inside and two outside, until the aurors arrive from the Ministry" then Harry placed Pansy at the floating gurney two healers just conjured.

Harry made his way to the Chief of Staff office passing the confused but awed secretary and knocked the door, then entered without waiting for an answer ignoring the secretary's protests.

"Excuse me sir" Harry called for the Chief of Staff.

"What's that, explain yourself; young man" a short chubby man shouted in disapproval of the intrusion.

"I'm terribly sorry sir, but I need to use your flue connection" Harry answered hastily

"And what made you think this is a public flue … Bless my stars, it's Harry Potter"

"Can I use the flue now, sir" Harry said taking the advantage of his fame

"Why of course, it is time for my rotation anyway; feel free to speak loudly, this room is under the silencing charm"

"Thank you sir", and then he waited until the chief exited the room then jumped near the fireplace and shouted "Minister Malone's office" and put his head into the emerald fire.

Minister Malone was deeply absorbed by paperwork, which caused him to jump when he heard the emerald flames burst at his fireplace "Minister"

"Oh, it's you Potter" The Minister regained his composure and walked towards the fireplace "What is it?"

"I've got some news, sir" Harry said to his superior "We've encountered the death eaters and caught one"

"Well, that’s good news. Who is the sorry ass?" Malone said excitedly and Harry replied in calmly "Pansy Parkinson"

"Well, I'll be … That's a good catch Potter" Harry received the Minister's praise commendation with unusual

"Actually sir, I don't think she's a death eater" His statement surprised the Minister, who was taken aback at first then replied sternly "Based on what evidence, you know better than me that she is the one who killed your fellow aurors"

"It was not her sir, it was Flint; I saw her memories, she refused to kill them" The young auror said, and Malone stood in silence for a minute or so before stating "Well, I think this is a matter of dispute, but we will look into it another time. Now, where is she?"

"In St. Mungos, she couldn't bear the intensity of the Legilimensy, which leads to my request, I want four full fledged aurors to be placed at her ward in case any death eater would come and try to murder her" His request was surprisingly unusual that angered the Minister.

"Look, Potter" Malone said "If you think that because you are a celebrity auror in Britain you can request anything then you are mistaken. You of all people know that aurors are too valuable to be wasted on guard duty which, naturally, is delegated to other law enforcement branches" his disapproval was emphasized by the angry expression on his face "And I have a feeling that you care more about her safety rather than her being able to escape"

"Because I know she won't, sir" Harry said "She is the wife of Professor Malfoy" the Minister fell into deep silence while harry carried on "and I accidentally tripped a sad memory within her mind which showed her daughter, their daughter, being killed in cold blood by a death eater"

More shocking news to the Minister who, for the rest of the conversation, kept his lips closed and opened his ears "With all due respect sir, I have to ask you to send some aurors or I'll assign my whole team to guard her, it is my fault she's in here"

"……… Request granted, and I hope you are right Potter or it will be your ass and badge on the line"

"Thank you sir, you will not regret it"

\---------------------------------------------------

The ambulance reached the hospital after 10 minutes of driving. The EMTs parked at the entrance and pulled Pierce out in haste and made their way inside the emergency room with Ron in their tail. Soon, they reached 'Trauma One' room, Ron stood outside while the doctor were doing their jobs.

"RON" he jumped as someone called him from behind, although he knew the owner of the voice.

"GINNY … How many times I told you not to spook me", he lowered his voice as he continued "I was about to pull my wand out in presence of muggles"

"Oops! Sorry Ron, I won't do it again" she said it indifferently earning her a scowl from Ron "You enjoy vexing me, don't you", but she him paid no attention as she turned to trauma room and looked through the glass

"Friend of yours"

"Yes, his my partner at the police force"

"I never knew you are working with muggles"

"Now you know; so if you please listen to me without interruption for a minute"

Ginny's face turned serious, because Ron would never indicate her to listen unless it is something worth attention.

Ron cleared his throat and looked sideways before starting to talk slowly nearly whispering "Pierce there barely escaped a Reductor curse, it might have only grazed him but he couldn't escape rubble falling on him; he fell down through one floor with part of the roof before another part came down at him and he sustained some … minor wounds"

"All that and he only got minor wounds" Ginny looked at her brother in a skeptical look.

He took a deep breath and then continued "I want you to tend to his wounds personally, as he was attacked by wizards so the law clearly allows him to be treated by healers. And by the way, do not obliviate him, I want his memory intact"

Ginny protested "Why, muggles should be obliviated whenever they witness something magical"

"Ginny, please" Ron was now irritated "For once in your life, do what is told to you without arguing", Ginny looked at him in protest but didn't hold on to the matter.

"Okay, move so I can enter"

"Just do as I say …"

"For God's sake I, I am not stupid. Now move" I moved out of the way without saying a word.

I pushed the doors to trauma, and was greeted by her friends and colleagues.

"I, good timing as always" that was from her close friend Alicia Adams

"Morning Alicia, although the sun hasn't risen yet; Now, gimme the bullet"

"McLaden, Pierce; 26-year-old male, about 6' in height; weight is about 240 lbs; brought by EMTs following a shootout; Airway and breathing normal with no signs of breathing difficulties, abdomen rigid and distended, suspected internal injuries, pupils reaction to light normal; LOC just before he was brought to trauma, moderate concussion at the scene, broken right femur, cracked right tibia and lift fibula"

"Just minor injuries … I swear I'll get you for this, Ronald Weasely" I mumbled angrily.

"Excuse me" Alicia turned to her, and I replied almost instantly "Nothing … Let's get this fellow patched up, shall we? I need a CBC, Chem-7, blood gases, X-Rays, and a crit"

And everybody got into action.

\--------------------------------------------------

"Now mister, would you repeat the whole scene again? And this time slowly" Hermione asked the witness, who – despite his huge size – was shaking vigorously as if someone plugged him to an electrical outlet.

"I told you, senorita. That black-hood loco stormed the place and all what we heard was the screaming of that poor old man, icompasivo Dios" he exclaimed fearfully while praying.

"Is that all?" Hermione asked in a frustrated tone but still hoping for more information.

"Si senorita, that's all"

"It is detective for you, macho" then Hermione shot toward the room where the victim was in, and she was taken aback by the sight of gore.

This time the murderers weren't taking any chances; the victim's upper chest and head has exploded with bits of brain, flesh and bone spread on the entire area around the table. She wore her gloves and tried to pull the wallet out of what remained of the body.

"Stop right there, detective" a familiar voice shouted from behind, she turned around and found her tormentor "Investigator Laura" she said frowning "You're late".

"And you're about to contaminate the crime scene"

"I took my precautions" she waved her gloved hands "And I want that wallet for investigation"

"I think this is our job" Laura said calmly

"Now, now, Laura; you know the rule I set previously …"

"I happen to have new rules from your superiors" She didn't change her stance as she pulled out a folded letter from her pocket, which Hermione snatched almost tearing it.

 

**Los Angeles Police Department Robbery and Homicide Division LAPD Board Committee**

**Memo to all Field Detectives:**

_In the light of recent events which includes some field detectives who are ignoring a trivial regulation, which notes that the crime scene investigators are the ones responsible for collecting and processing evidence, although they are not ignorant of the fact that their interference might cause some degree of contamination to the crime scene, which leads to disturbance in the case itself. The Board Committee of Chiefs of Los Angeles Police Departments has agreed to apply certain compromising solution for this undesirable situation:_

_1 - The detective in charge of a case must remain passive until the CSI team arrive at scene and finish their work._

_2 – Any detective who does not comply with the new rule will be relieved of his/her duty and be forced to present his/her detective badge and gun until proper hearing is arranged._

_This new regulation is effective immediately, and the CSI personnel are granted the power to extract any detective fails to comply with the regulation and report them immediately._

**_Director of Robbery & Homicide Division Head of LAPD Board Committee_ **

**_John S. Maronski_ **

If the Hermione was shooting daggers from her eyes, Laura would be dead by now; she gave the young investigator her most intimidating leer.

"Now detective, if you please; I have a crime scene to check" said Laura not giving a damn about the leers of the young detective

Hermione stood there for a minute glaring at the cool investigator before storming out of the building swearing loudly "That old goat; good-for-nothing, wrinkled-arse, vile retard"

"Bloody Hell Hermione, I never thought your language could descend to that colorful speech you just blurted" A voice sounded from behind her. She turned around only to see Ron standing calmly.

"Oh, shove it Weasley; I'm not in the mood" She retorted in anger and he asked "Why? What happened?"

"That wanker Maronski has put some new restrains on our jobs" she stated as she handed the notice to Ron, who read it quickly then stood there with a smile.

"At least now we have some vacancy in our time"

"Who said I need vacancy" Hermione exclaimed in disapproval.

Ron stared at her for a minute before speaking "You know Hermione, sometimes I mistake you for a machine. Since I came here I never saw you rest for a minute, what's eating you lassie? Do you have any problems with your boyfriend?"

Ron regretted his question when he saw the sad look appearing on her face. She that answered in a calm, tear-shedding voice "Actually, my boyfriend was tortured and killed by the Drug Lord Muerte; he was my past partner and our informer inside the cartel. He was exposed because some corrupt investigator leaked information about the detectives who deal with Muerte's cases. I, myself, was and still their number one target and barely escaped death once, everyone around me is also become tainted and targeted by them, and that's why I always like to work alone, I am a cursed person, I'm all alone"

Few tears escaped her eyes despite her effort to push them back, and Ron looked at her with sympathy and tried to comfort her.

"You are not alone; and you remind me of a friend, who also was a target since he was one year old, his parents died by the hands of the Dark Lord himself in an attempt to save him, he then ……"

His eyes widened as he saw her confusion and fear, he noticed that he spoke his thoughts out loud; too loud 'This is bad, I almost blurted the secrets of the Wizard World to a muggle. This is truly bad'

"Wha-What, Dark Lord, one-year-old target, what are you babbling about" Hermione looked at Ron with a confused look

"Nothing, nothing, just some nonsense" Ron tried to dismiss the matter.

"I never heard of nonsense that is so … Complicated" Hermione not wore her usual inquisitive look, which made Ron sweat real badly.

"I'll go and convince the investigator to give us an initial report of their progress" Ron said as a last attempt of escape, which – for his relief – was answered with an approval yet skeptical nod from Hermione; but as he headed for the bar, he felt Hermione's piercing looks at his back.

Hermione then stood for a second processing her thoughts before heading toward the dark alley beside the bar, 'There is something fishy about that Weasley' she thought to herself on her way to the alley 'I've got to speak to Pierce about it'

As she reached the alley she looked around, this is the place where the second party came out from and confronted the murderers; their allegiance is still unknown, but until it is revealed they must be treated as hostiles, no more unwanted trust in strangers; she once done it and lost her partner and boyfriend as a price.

She didn't find any interesting so she went deep into the alley for a thorough check, only to find nothing. She stood there with frustration and hopelessness, and was about to leave the alley, but her police intuition kept her, and a thought of going deeper came to her.

She only walked a few steps until she reached a bend before feeling the presence of someone on the other side of the bend; she leaned forward only to see the silhouette of two people under faint light, and overheard the weirdest conversation she ever heard in her life.

"Did you get everything Sofia?"

"No sir; the equipments here are useless in thorough check; we'll have to wait until the body remains are transferred to the morgue"

"Not good Sofia, you already missed up me once; I will not tolerate failure again"

"Yes sir; also there is some good news, our encounter with the death eaters left them no time to remove the magic signature of the curse used on the victim"

"Really; maybe not all has been in vain after all"

"I will spare no effort in acquiring the needed information"

"I know Sofia, I have high expectations in you and the whole team; I have not chosen you blindly, you are the best aurors in the world; but don't let that get in your head"

"I see sir; I will not disappoint you. How's auror Pavlov doing sir?"

"He's doing well; although he was hit by bone-exploding curse that hit his shoulder; and a slicing curse that nearly amputated his leg; but I do not doubt the skill of the chaps in St. Mungos, they will get him patched up in no time"

"I see sir; the loss of auror Pavlov would be a major blow, as he is considered a great asset to our team"

"I know that; but not to worry, he will be back in a couple of days mostly"

I hope so sir; I better return to the crime scene now"

"Go, I will wait your full report at the headquarters"

Hermione heard a door open as one of them entered the building; but the other one is still there; she devised a plan to catch him off guard, but her mind was still all wrapped up with the conversation she eavesdropped. She made up her mind, and jumped in the alley's section the person was in, "Freeze" she shouted firmly at the cloaked figure, and suddenly looked up to her.

Even though the suspect's face was cloaked in darkness, she could swear his eyes were unusually bright as if they were emitting light of their own, she felt as if she was hypnotized for minute before noticing him backing up slowly; she fired her first shot at him trying to incapacitate him, and her widening as she saw him dodging the bullet in a un-human speed; she fired a second bullet but didn't reach him as it seemed to hit a force field that suddenly appeared around him. She stood there dumbfounded only to see him running astounding speed toward the end of the alley as there was a bend there; she regained her awareness and leaped behind him, but by that time he reached the bend and turned to it. She jumped forward and pointed her gun, but to her dismay he was gone, and it was a dead-end.

"H-How?" she said almost fainting; she stretched a trembling hand toward the wall in front of her, it was clearly a solid wall. She stepped out of the alley shivering violently wearing a stunned look on her face only to meet Ron's worrying eyes, she held his arms tightly.

"There's a man … bullet dodged … disappeared … dead-end" she stuttered almost fainting in Ron's arms.

"It's okay; the darkness of the alley along with your injuries caused you to hallucinate" Ron said with a weak smile.

"Injuries? Hallucination?" Hermione looked at Ron with tired and confused eyes.

"You see; that spe… Beam you were hit with caused you to hallucinate about everything happened there; I checked the alley when you were at inside the building and there was nothing"

"I-I don't know, I don't feel well right now" She remarking in confusion "I want to go home and lie down for a while"

"Good for you" Ron said with a wider smile "I will escort you to your flat"

\----------------------------------------------

"BP 90/60 and falling" a nurse exclaimed

"Give him an amp of Epi; and where those bloody results are. Maria call the lab and tell them to get their arses to work for God's sake" Ginny shouted at the nurse beside her

"Okay" nurse Maria ran toward the phone.

"Katie; how's the BP" Ginny asked the first nurse

"100/62 and rising" nurse Katie answered giving Ginny a thumb-up

"He's in V-fib" a nurse shouted

"We're losing him" Alicia said to Ginny

"No we're not" Ginny said firmly

"The lab are sending the results now" nurse Maria said as she entered the room

"Give him 3cc of Potassium slowly" Alicia shouted at Katie

"Don't die McLaden; I promised Ron you won't die" Ginny mumbled nervously

\------------------------------------------------

Harry panted heavily as he appeared at the alley in front of the HQ "That was close" he said while leaning his back to the wall behind him and trying to regain his composure; he then made his way to the HQ, and pushed open the door.

"Harry Potter, sir" Dick greeted his superior properly who "Evening, Dick. I hope everything is alright here"

"What happened sir?" Dick inquired in concern when he noticed the tired look on Harry's face.

"Mission Failed; Target is dead and Vlad sustained moderate wounds" The answer came as a shock to Dick who believed that Harry was invincible

"I … I'm Sorry to hear that, sir" Harry saw the disappointed look on the young man's face and reassured him "Not to worry; I have good news too, I think that this time we caught them off guard and they didn't have the time to remove the magic signature of the curse; I want you to send this report to the Professor Malfoy in UK and tell him that more details will be available by tomorrow”

"I'll do it right away sir"

"Is Ron here yet?" As he finished the question the door opened and Ron entered the HQ "Oi Harry, you are early" Ron exclaimed

Harry shrugged and answered "If you considered taking two hours to finish my chores early, then I suggest you recheck your schedule"

Ron was shocked at Harry's answer; then he shook his head stating "Bloody Hell, if there was anyone who considered taking down three death eaters single-handedly a chore, it would be you Harry"

"You know me mate; abnormal since my birth" Harry said smiling

"Actually; I was going to say extraordinary" Ron chuckled; then continued "Anyway, what's with the sword?"

"First your debrief" Harry said gaining him a disapproval grunt from Ron; but a firm look from Harry forced Ron to submit to his leader's 'order'

"OK; after the duel between you and the death eaters, me and Granger looked for McLaden who was in the ruined building; you did a great job by destroying the street and the surrounding building. We found McLaden injured and as soon as we reached him the building began to collapse, and without thinking I … Apparated him"

"WHAT?!!" Harry shouted "You apparated a muggle, and in front of another one?! Are you mad?! They could be suspecting you by now"

"I didn't have much choice by then; the building was collapsing for God's sake"

Harry snorted and then asked the inevitable question "I hope you obliviated them after this 'undesirable' incident"

"Well … McLaden's injuries were critical, and the memory charm was out of question at the moment. It was a Reductor curse, after all" Ron retorted and then Harry stated in worry "It's the aftermath I'm worried about; that and I'm still wondering how he survived it"

"Don't worry mate; the Reductor didn’t hit the bloke; he dodged it by a mile" Ron said in cheery manner which amazed Harry "Really?! I never thought a muggle could dodge a normal curse let alone a Reductor"

"Well, you have to give those muggle detectives some credit, mate; you sound as if you see them as helpless babies; they do have special training, ya' know"

Harry chuckled at the comment but didn’t say anything; and Ron continued his debrief "After we 'apparated' from the building, I escorted Pierce to the hospital and told Ginny to look after him personally"

"Well, that's good thinking from you at least for once in this bloody debrief; and I hope she doesn’t give him any potions and cause more commotion among muggles"

"You know her Harry, the brains of the family; and quite hardheaded as a matter of fact. If she wanted to give him potions there is no force on earth that could prevent her from doing so" Ron stated with a sly grin; and Harry rolled his eyes.

"Anyway" Harry said wryly "About that detective Granger; have you obliviated her?"

"Actually, the strangest thing happened, I couldn't do it" Ron said indifferently and Harry replied coldly "What's your excuse this time?"

"No excuses, I tried to glance at her mind to measure the needed strength for the memory charm to take effect … And she blocked me"

"Blocked you?!" Harry said in confusion went into deep thought "Strange … No muggle ever blocked a mind charm" The raven-haired auror went into deep thought and his aides waited in silence for his orders. After a minute or so, Harry looked at the Intel specialist and voiced his orders.

"Dick, I want you to print out the profile of detective Granger " Harry ordered "Moreover, I want you to bring me any aptitude tests you may find"

"Right away, sir" Dick complied and left Harry's office leacing him and his right-hand man.

"Now …" Ron said in a concluding tone "And it's your turn mate; what's with the- Sweet Merlin!!"

Ron said in awe as Harry drew his sword in a swift move and held it in plain sight of his awestruck friend.

"I was reluctant to use it at that early stage" Harry said while examining the sword's cleanliness state "But after what happened, I had to bring swift end to that fight"

"You mean swift justice" Ron retorted "And where did you find this swo- Oh, my word" the revelation struck the redhead yet again when he saw the Engraved words "Godric Gryffindor"

"The one and only …" Harry said with a smile "However, I think we should call it Gryffindor Katana by now"

"How did you fix it? And what do these engravings mean?" Ron asked in interest eyeing the oriental characters on the other side of the blade.

"Phoenix Sword …" Harry replied and started … And his destiny.

FLASHBACK

_After the final battle, Harry thought he was free of his demons; and that the death of his arch-nemesis meant the end of his problems; but his feelings were on the contrary of that; he felt the victory so hollow, and so bothering, so lost. He left his position as a Senior Auror and declined the position of Director of Auror Department; and went on a long journey around the world for two purposes; repairing Gryffindor's sword which was shattered by the intensity of the final battle, and looking for an answer for his discomfort. He traveled through the coldness of tundra, the heat of the desert, and the dampness of the tropics; he checked in all the magical villages in these places, he even checked the magical libraries around the world, including the Library of Alexandria; which was hidden by wizard sages to protect it from destruction by Roman legions; the guardian of library handed him a letter that addressed to him by no other than his mentor, Albus Dumbledore; it contained instruction of what to do after he destroys Voldemort and, for his surprise, what to do if the sword was broken. There was a map that showed place that has become the end of his almost six-month journey; Okinawa Island, Japan._

_Harry apparated directly from Alexandria to Okinawa International Apparition Zone; he made his way to Matsurumi village, the last magical village in all Japan although, ironically, inhabited by muggles and squibs. He reached the village by night as there was no flue connection to any place in the village and he didn't know where to flue to if there ever was. As he reached the village, he asked the inhabitants for directions to the swordsmith dwelling. He was directed to a humble house in the outskirts that shows no signs of living, he entered with caution._

_"Tatsuya-san" Harry called entering a semi-dim room; only to feel a tip of a Japanese sword under his chin; the sword itself was held by a person who was concealed in the darkness of the corner. They stood there without making a single move for a minute that seemed to Harry like eternity, and then the dark figure withdrew the sword and came out of the darkness._

_"Too slow, Harry Potter-kun" said the person who was an old man, even older than what Dumbledore was; but his swift and silent moves was so much like him "From what I heard from my old friend Dumbledore-san; you are much quicker"_

_"I was taken aback by your swiftness, sir" Harry said with awe_

_"But what if I was an enemy" Tatsuya said in scolding tone "I would not give you the luxury of being taken aback; I would slit your throat and go on with my business"_

_Harry looked uncomfortable by that statement, and followed the elder swordsman who sat down behind a Japanese-style low table and ushered him sit opposite of him._

_"Constant Vigilance, young man, always be in the state of constant vigilance; those who live your life must be always on their toes" Harry hardly contained a laugh as he heard the elder man saying Mad-Eye Moody's motto._

_"Anyway" The elder said "I assume you came here to re-forge the sword … And your troubled mind", Harry's eyeballs almost poked out of there sockets and he said in stuttered-mumble "H-How did …"_

_"I always knew; as a matter of fact I was the one who foresaw the events of the final battle" Tatsuya stated coolly, "Also I advised Dumbledore-san to write you these instructions you came passing by"_

_Harry didn't say anything as he was shocked by these statements; Tatsuya ignored his looks and asked him "May I see the sword please? … Arigato" he said when harry handed him a worn bag; Tatsuya opened the bag and emptied its contents on the table._

_"Ah, the great sword of Gryffindor" Tatsuya said while assessing the sword's condition "Of course I expected it not to meet Japanese standards, but I didn't know that the European blacksmiths were so … crude" Harry was shocked again, he never thought that any sword could surpass the beauty of Gryffindor' sword._

_"Sir, this sword is the finest one in all Europe" Harry said hoping to regain some dignity for the sword._

_"I should have known; because those so-called 'Blacksmiths' are not capable of making scrap metal look shiny, let alone a sword" Harry barely controlled his temper at the old man's statement._

_"So, you think you can make it better" Harry said acidly_

_"I thought you'd never ask" Tatsuya replied and shoved the sword shards back into the bag and place it beside him; he looked intently at Harry before speaking._

_"So, what else brought you here, young man?" He asked with a calm tone while pouring some green tea for both of them_

_Harry regained his composure and accepted the cup of tea from the elderly before speaking "Actually I was traveling around the world looking for answer for …"_

_"Your emptiness, your discomfort" Harry body tense and looked at the old swordsman with sheer shock; he hit the bull's eye._

_"Are you reading my mind old man? Because I didn't feel any probing" Harry looked skeptically at the elderly who was drinking his tea calmly._

_"Rest assured" Tatsuya answered him "I didn't read your mind, baka. I told you before that I foresaw the events of the final battle, and every events followed it"_

_Harry ignored the insult and asked "Care to explain everything old man?"_

_Tatsuya stood up and turned his back to Harry while looking through a window "If you want an explanation then listen to me and spare me from your brilliant comments", then he took a deep breath and resumed._

_"At the dawn of magic, when the people were all muggles; a magical essence divided and four creatures with magical abilities where created, a Phoenix, a Badger, a Raven, and a Basilisk. The four creatures lived side by side as brethren, but the basilisk thought due to their 'Superior' powers they should enslave the humans; an opinion that was not accepted by his brethren. He soon left them and sought to accomplish his goals; he killed and slaughtered many humans leaving a path of destruction behind him. His brethren felt his pure hatred and evil via a link that has been erected between the four of them by the magical essence; they went on a journey for their brother and help him redeem his former self, but they were late; for the basilisk attempted to kill a pregnant woman but a force repelled him before he make the kill. The sheer power of the force was too much for his body to sustain, so he died; but not before he passed his magical inheritance to the unborn child of his victim and then burst into green flames that consumed his body vowing to return one day the shape he despise; a human. The tree brethren reached the pregnant woman whose water was broken and attempted to treat her; the phoenix used its tears to heal the wounds of the woman, the raven places its wing under her head and comfort her, the badger dug the earth and looked for a remedy for her pain. The woman gave birth to a boy; the first human with magical ability; but alas, the mother died much in vain to their effort"_

_Tatsuya returned to his seat opposite to Harry; who was so absorbed in the story._

_"The three brethren vowed to raise the child and teach him to control his ability, and the boy himself was so adept in this aspect; he mastered his magic by the age of ten; the age which the young wizards now are to attend the schools of magic; but by the age of twenty the three brethren felt the nearing of the end of their journey in the world, and passed all their magic into the boy; who became a young man; the raven and the badger passed peacefully, but the phoenix vowed to return as a human and protect humanity from the wrath of his brother; the basilisk. The young man traveled the world aiding the people against evil; after twenty years of traveling he reached his last stop, Britannia; where he aided a young man there to pull a sword out of a stone and claim the kingship of the whole island …"_

_Harry interrupted the elderly "You don't mean …"_

_"Yes" Tatsuya nodded "The king you know as Arthur of Camelot; and the Wizard was no one else but Merlin, the first true wizard on Earth. After aiding King Arthur in his quest, he was granted a manor where he lived a happy married life. He had four children, those who were distained to be the four founders of Hogwarts. The founders were named after their descendants; Godric the Griffin (Means the Phoenix); Helga of the Huffing Puff (Pertaining to her anger of anything messes with the Nature; as the Badger was); Rowena the Raven (For sheer raven-black hair); and Salazar the Slithering (For his snake-like method of gaining glory); their names has been distorted to the ones you know. Merlin passed them the essence of the four founders of magic; Gordric was passed the courage and loyalty of the Phoenix; Helga was passed the power of Nature and the ability to utilize the earth's power and plants; Rowena was passed the wisdom and the intellect of the Raven; and Salazar, as you know, was passed the resourcefulness and the lust for power as the Basilisk"_

_Tatsuya paused for a minute and looked at Harry to see the effect of his words, then resumed "The founders of Hogwarts passed their magical essence to many of their descendants who form most of Erath populous today; most of them turned squibs; whom we know as muggles, but even these squibs have given birth to full wizards and witches; those who are known as muggle-borns and half-bloods. But only one family is considered a direct descendant of every founder; the Gaunts are the descendants of Salazar Slytherin; the Sprouts are of Hufflepuff; The Clearwaters are of Ravenclaw; and for Gryffindor are … The Potters"_

_Harry now was in a state of shock "So, I'm …"_

_"The last descendant of Godric Gryffindor" Tatsuya stated "And the descendant of the Phoenix"_

_"But I thought Dumbledore was …" Harry interjected_

_"He was a Gryffindor indeed, but not as a direct descendant; he might have been a Phoenix animagus, but he didn't have the phoenix essence within him. Do you remember the time when you drew this sword out of Gryffindor's hat, only Gryffindor's descendants are able to do so; and do you remember your incident with the basilisk; if you have accidentally looked into its eyes you wouldn’t have been petrified, and even if Fawkes hadn't healed you by its tears you would heal naturally; all that because you have the Phoenix Essence; also you can't control the dark arts nor the unforgivable since you are pure at heart. Harry, that is because you are the Phoenix"_

_Harry was feeling dizzy because of all this information "So, if I am the Phoenix incarnation, then Voldemort was indeed …"_

_"The Humans doom, the Basilisk …" Tatsuya answered_

_"But then, I defeated him, so my purpose is fulfilled. I shouldn't be alive" Harry stated confusingly_

_"Your first purpose is fulfilled indeed, but the Phoenix true purpose is to protect the Human race from the basilisk descendant and his followers and to insure that the line of Gryffindor will not extinct. I have foresaw these events as I told you, and I have seen the darkness enveloping the planet, and a phoenix burned to ashes; and his fire illuminates the Earth and removing the shadow of darkness"_

_"What does that mean" Harry asked in total confusion._

_"It means that the Phoenix descendant will smite the pure evil that comes to Earth, but it will not be accomplished without self-sacrifice" the elder stated calmly, and Harry looked worried and angry "It means I will die in order to save the world; brilliant … Just brilliant. And here I was complaining of boredom after fulfilling the former prophecy that indicates that I have a 'possibility' of dying; not you tell me plainly that I die!"_

_"It is not my own words, baka. it is simply the explanation of the prophecy" Tatsuya said coolly "And you might want to know that in our knowledge as seers; Phoenix sacrifice is not something foreseen usually, it is something considered … Noble; something which I can hardly see fit to you"_

_Harry became irritated of the old man's comments "Listen old man, I had enough of that smart-mouth of yours; if you weren't on the edge of the grave I would've kicked your oriental arse"_

_"I would like to see you try …" and the both stood up, and Tatsuya set the table aside by a wave of his hand._

_"That does it" Harry shouted angrily "Reducto", but nothing came out of his wand. Harry looked at his wand in confusion and shouted again "Rectusempra" yet nothing came._

_"Only passive magic is allowed in these premises" Tatsuya stated calmly, and then grabbed suddenly by his shirt "And hand-to-hand combat", and he threw him across the room "No offensive spells, and no apparition"._

_Harry felt every bone in his body screaming crashed into the wooden wall; he stood quickly regaining his composure and dignity, and took the boxing stance as he saw Dudley do it._

_"Now you understand me; but not enough" as he finished his sentence he disappeared and appeared beside Harry, and without warning he delivered a strong elbow blow to Harry's side pushing him through the wall into the garden. Harry tried to jump up, but he felt a presence behind him, and then heard a voice "Yield"_

_"Never" Harry hissed; he never backed off from a fight, and this will not be his first._

_"Yield or die young man, it's your choice"_

_"I will die fighting; not leaning as a coward" Harry spit the words acidly_

_"Too bad; it was good knowing you" And he tightened his fist into delivered a rock-solid punch._

_Harry didn't know what happened; but he felt the time slow down and he tilted his head right dodging the punch barely as it grazed his temple. He then jumped up and took a defensive stance._

_"Interesting" Tatsuya said "It seems some of the traits Dumbledore told me about are beginning to show up"_

_"What traits?" Harry said gasping from the effort he took dodging the deathblow._

_"Your agility, pride, and the ability to think on your feet" Tatsuya stated "but your constant dependence on magic is what weakens you"_

_"Well, I think me speed is nothing compared to yours" Harry complimented "And by the way, what about your statement of no apparition or magic, you seem to apparate easily within the wards"_

_"Who said I apparated" the old man shrugged his arms "I merely leaped to your side"_

_Harry looked in amazement, and then asked slyly "Care to teach me these fancy moves; or it is for Japanese only"_

_Tatsuya looked at Harry firmly and said "If you want to learn how to fight you better ask nicely; I only accept students not court jesters, and students must treat their sensei with respect for they are honored to be chosen as his students. Now, try again"_

_Harry gritted his teeth looking to the ground and spoke slowly "Would you honor me by accepting me as your student …" and then looked up and met Tatsuya's eyes "Sensei …"_

_Tatsuya nodded with agreement "I only accept because I see that you have the qualities and the potential of a fighter" then he pointed a finger at Harry and resumed "But you must control your short temper, as it will lead you nowhere near success"_

_The next year of Harry's life in Matsurumi village was full of action, physical training; including hand-to-hand combat like Karate, Jujitsu and Aikido; mental training including applying Legilimensy without the enemy feeling the probe, and sharpening his sixth sense. Also he learned some written knowledge; as Tatsuya allowed Harry to enter his family's most ancient secret, the Sacred Library of Japan._

_"I will not live long, and wanted to have an heir to take care of my family's most sacred possessions; I have chosen you to be my heir. These scrolls contain ancient spells that no human in the world ever encountered, as it was invented and developed by my ancestors; I trust you will put it in good use"_

_Harry bended his head in appreciation "I am honored by your trust sensei"_

_Harry went through drastic life-threatening situations and calm situations during his training; Tatsuya's reason for this was that life itself is neither total peace nor absolute war, and if Harry has to be the one who leads the world through the bouts darkness he must master his mind in both peace and war. Harry himself became calm and understanding of his master's reasons; in fact he began to treat Tatsuya as the father he never knew._

_One night during the last month of his stay, Harry was revising some of the scrolls from the ancient library, while his master was drinking some green tea and seemed to be immersed in thought._

_"Sensei" Harry called quietly._

_"Yes Harry-kun" Tatsuya replied_

_"When I first came here and you told me the story of magic, you said a prophecy about the Phoenix sacrifice …" Harry stopped gathering his thoughts_

_"Yes" Tatsuya ushered him to continue_

_"You said that the Phoenix sacrifice is not usual to occur and it is noble, what did you mean by that?"_

_The elderly looked with understanding "Ah … You see, the Phoenix is a proud creature that does not dwell near humans for too long. However, if it held someone in high esteem, it will not hesitate to sacrifice itself for them" Tatsuya drew at his pipe and added "In addition, your role is much more complex than a simple sacrifice. You will be the Guardian of Hope; the last pillar of defense to he who holds the keys to the world's future … Our future"_

_Many questions ran through the young man's mind, but he knew when his master left his seat that no more answers will be given. So, he took the cue and went for his room… --_

_\------------------------------------------------_

_A month had passed since that conversation took place, and Harry was preparng his belongings to return Home … To England._

_"You seemed to be eager to leave, do you hate this place that much?" Tatsuya asked with a smile while holding an object concealed under a cloth, and his student replied courteously "Not at all sensei, but I wanted to bother you no longer with my presence"_

_"Enough of your silver tongue" Tatsuya replied with a chuckle "I brought you something" and pulled the cloth revealing a sheathed katana._

_"This is your sword; or, as a matter of fact, katana … Gryffindor Katana" he said unsheathing the sword and revealing the name written in English and Japanese._

_"I took the liberty of adding a phoenix feather to the core of the handle of the sword; Fawkes' feather to be precise"_

_"Fawkes?!" Harry said in astonishment as the phoenix flew through the door and landed gracefully on Harry's shoulder, who gave it a joyful stroke._

_"Dumbledore told me to take care of him if something happened to him, I apologize of not telling you so soon; but I wanted you to concentrate on your training"_

_"It's all right" Harry said still stroking the bird "I just feel sad because I will leave when I just met my old friend again"_

_Tatsuya smiled before saying "Actually, this 'old friend' will be your partner on your journey"_

_Harry barely contained his joy and bowed thanking his old master "Thank you very much sensei"_

_"Now let me continue; a regular wizard or witch needs a catalyst for his/her magic to take effect, but highly trained wizards, like the aurors, can use a limited number of spells wandlessly. In your case, your natural talent and your heritage the Phoenix Essence aided you in mastering most of the magic spells and curses, save the unforgivables of course. Your wand merely strengthen your non-elemental magic; but by this sword you can harness the power of elemental magic easily; this includes the five elements of Nature; Fire, Water, Lightening, Air, and Earth. Your mastery of the non-elementals will still be the same; and your inability to cast the unforgivables correctly still unchanged; just remember when to use magic and when to refer to hand-to-hand combat"_

_Harry bowed again "I will keep that in mind sensei"_

_Tatsuya nodded calmly and smiled "Just remember where to go when you need council"_

END OF FLASHBACK

"Brilliant Harry" Ron exclaimed in shock "So, you are the owner of Fawkes now, absolutely brilliant"

"Just wait to see him, he seemed to gang up with Hedwig against me" Harry stated "Though they seem attracted to each other in some degree"

"Oh, cheer up, Harry; I think you will be the first to own a baby of a phoenix and an owl" Ron said but shuddered at the image "Though I don't want to even imagine it; what will you call the new creature by the way … Owenix?"

Dick, who listened to the whole conversation, laughed loudly at the name "It is a name of a pig Wes, not a bird; I suggest the name Phowl"

"This sounds like a name of a snake or another dark creature" Ron protested

"Let's drop the matter for now" Harry said dismissively "We have a case in our hand"

"True" Ron agreed "And your destiny to discuss; too bad you finished from a prophecy to be part of another"

"Well, who said that my life ever been easy?" Harry shrugged his shoulders while stating.

"True again" Ron said "And this sacrifice Hogwash, it seems that you will die 100% this time; but at least we got a head start this time" Ron stated then went into a deep thought "Still, you will have a burden this time; to protect whatshisname …"

"He who hold the keys to the future …" Harry corrected "Those yanks see to have got into you"

"Well … Live with them, learn from them" Ron retorted "Let's just forget about the future for now and concentrate on the present" he pointed a finger at Harry and said confidently "I have an idea …"

\--------------------------------------------------

"YOU IDIOT" a thunderous voice roared at the death eater who fled the scene and pushed him magically to the wall.

"B-But master 'Cough' Potter n-never gave me the time, he t-took down my comrades easily"

"You should do was you have to regardless of the situation, now they will know the spell we used on the victims" Flint bellowed at the frightened death eater.

"I insist that I couldn't face Potter alone, he is a force to be reckoned with" the death eater said in frightened voice "This problem …"

"… Is not your concern anymore; AVADA KEDVRA INFINITI" The young Dark Lord fired his favorite curse on the intimidated death eater, who never had time to scream as a chain of killing curses made its way to him.

"Senor Flint, this was not our deal, hombre" a short half-muscled, half-fat male came bursting into the room.

"Mister Muerte" Flint turned to the chubby "I assure you that this is a common mistake"

"You said that your plan was tonto-prueba" Muerte exclaimed with evidence of anger flexing his arms.

Flint said without flinching "I assure you that my plan is indeed fool-proof, but we encountered certain … Difficulties"

Muerte exploded with laughter "And you said you are special with your so-called magia"

Flint didn’t lost his coolness and said "Well … These difficulties are in the form of aurors and especially the 'Death trackers', our counterparts"

"You are just making excuses now, gringo. A bullet in the head is what they worth" Muerte bellowed.

"If you insist, why don't you try it? Your best man against mine; survival of the fittest" Flint stated

"Now you're talking Holmes. Fernandez, you will fight" a 6'6" giant came into the room and stand flexing his muscles.

Flint smiled slyly and said "Nott" and a middle-sized man hooded came out of darkness which made Muerte flinch.

"Where the fuck did he came from?" Muerte spat and seemed to be startled by the sudden appearance of the hooded man

"Oh, he was there all the time; meet my right-hand and second in power, Nott"

"This half-macho doesn't scare me"

"Oh, I guarantee that you will change your mind, in this life or another" Flint said smiling, then walked to Nott and whispered "Toy with him a little before you place our signature"

They both took their stances; Fernandez pulled a Desert Eagle while Nott drew his wand.

"What?!" Muerte said laughing loudly not missing the smile on his right-hand man face "Has he gone loco; fighting a gun with a stick"

"Oh, it's not a regular stick Muerte" Flint stated "It's his magic wand"

"Magia shmagia, I will see this myself …BEGIN" and Fernandez fired first.

Nott smiled evilly as the bullet hit the space in front of him and dropped to the ground; both gang-machos never saw the shield, but the bullet hit an invisible wall and drop soundly. Fernandez got angry and fired more bullets, but it was in vain as the bullets dropped before reaching Nott.

"Idiota, fight him with your fists" Muerte bellowed at his henchman, who took the cue, tightened his grip and charged like a raging bull.

Nott never moved, he jus pulled up his wand and shouted "Explodia" and a reddish purple curse erupted and flied toward the henchman causing his body above the waist to explode and, and segments of flesh and bone spread around the body.

Muerte stood speechless for a minute before muttering "I-I never saw anything like that in my life, he's just exploded"

"The power of magic at its best" Flint said smiling; and Muerte began to laugh like a maniac.

"Senor Muerte, have you gone loco?" Flint said slyly quoting Muerte's previous statement on Nott.

"I will be a loco indeed if I crossed swords with you partner; or should I say wands" Muerte stated while laughing.

"What ever suits you partner" Flint said with a smile.

Muerte directed Flint out of the room saying "Come, Holmes. Let's celebrate the renewal of our alliance; my whole fortune is at your disposal"

"I have to talk with Nott for a minute, excuse me" Flint said while walking toward Nott.

"I will wait for you in the dining room then" and Muerte exited the room.

"Fool, if he only knew what we will do with his so-called fortune. Nott, remove the magical signature from this idiot's remains and ignite it, I want you to talk the matters at hand and remove the magical signature from the body that idiot left it; you may begin when you are ready, and I do not tolerate failure" Flint instructed Nott, who never expressed any emotions, but nodded with agreement and said "And if I encountered any difficulties?"

Flint narrowed his eyes and replied "Eradicate it immediately"


	6. Joining Forces

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was an idea .. A crazy idea of Ron. But it was the only way for Harry to avoid other magical skirmishes and gets more inside information.
> 
> Joining forces with the muggle detectives ...

Pierce opened his eyes slowly finding himself looking at a sky-blue ceiling; he took a deep breath almost wincing in pain and a smell of disinfectant came to his nose before descending to his lungs, he coughed in response and remained lying; lids closed. A minute has passed before he heard someone opening the door to the room, and a sweet smell of jasmine filled his lungs this time; he felt so refreshed by the smell and didn't want to exhale it. He turned his head to see the owner of this sweet smell only to catch the face of a red-haired young doctor, he looked into her eyes and felt as if all the worries came off his shoulders; he felt so relieved. They stood like this for a couple of seconds before she stepped into the room with smile on her face that Pierce can only describe it as an  _'Angel's Smile'_ ; and he was the first to break the silence.

"Am I in Heaven?" Pierce asked jokingly grinning.

"Not yet …" He felt his heart float as she spoke the words in a voice that suits her angelic face.

"Bummer" Pierce replied instantly "Because I thought you were an Angel"; he nearly swore that he saw a hint of blush in her cheeks at his words.

"Actually, you were nearly there; but thank Mer … God you weren't" She said trying to regain her composure.

"Well, I still have miles to creep and promises to keep before going" Pierce said comically; and his heart leapt again as he heard her chuckle softly _'She can't be a mere human'_ he thought to himself _'She is truly an Angel'_

Pierce kicked himself mentally after what he said, he was after all a married man to a loving wife, not to mention a daughter.

"Mr. McLaden, are you alright?" the doctor looked at him with confusion. "Yes" Pierce snapped out of his thoughts and smiled at her.

"I was just saying that even with your stable condition you have to take long vacation; even consider a career change" She said warily

"WHAT? Is my injury that serious?" Pierce exclaimed almost jumping out of bed; he groaned at his sore body, but he froze as he felt a hand on his shoulder and another on his chest; the doctor was at his side pushing him gently back to the bed, he felt his soreness fade away by the gentle touch of hers _'Who is she?'_ he thought to himself again _'I never felt that jumpy except when I first met Lydia; is it …'_ he chased the thought away violently causing the doctor more concern.

"Mr. McLaden" The doctor said with a worried voice "Do you need to sleep a little bit?"

"No, please carry on Dr …" Pierce said shaking his head

"Weasley, Ginny Weasley …" The doctor said causing Pierce to become notice suddenly

"Are you by any chance …" Pierce asked slowly "Related to Ronald Weasley?"

"Yes, he is my brother, why?" She said calmly.

"Nothing …" _'Well, that's another reason for not hitting on her, Wes boy might skin me alive'_ Pierce gave himself a mental note.

"Mr. McLaden, I have to inform you that your condition may turn really serious if you continued your work in the police force; the action will only cause more complications; your bones cannot take more hits" Ginny said in a doctor's tone, but he can here a hint of concern in her voice.

"Please doctor, can't you do anything that can help me regain my former health, because I won't leave my job; my partners, including your brother, depend on me; and I won't let them down" He said the last words firmly.

Ginny looked stunned before blurting "I know, he can be a pain in the arse sometimes; he never changes since the days of Hogwa …" her speech came to a halt as she registered what she were about to say; but not fast enough as Pierce was processing every word she said.

"Yes …" the now-alerted Pierce said encouraging her to continue

"Nothing, I want to say that he never changed since we were young" Ginny lied, but her eyes betrayed her as she couldn't sell a lie to a dunce, let alone a police detective and a shrewd like Pierce. Thankfully, he was so occupied with his condition to notice.

"So" Pierce said "Can you help me keep my job, Dr. Weasley" he look straightly at her eyes causing her to look away in discomfort. She thought for a minute before speaking.

"Mr. McLaden" Said Ginny before the detective interrupted her "Please, just call me Pierce" He said smiling.

"Mr. McLaden …" She said nervously; she haven't felt that fidgety since Hogwarts day "I have one solution for this; the problem is that the solution is a bit … Unorthodox" She said mysteriously.

"I'll take anything" Pierce said hastily with a glint of hope in his eyes "I'm not a man who is give a damn about the rules" Smiling as he remembered his hacker days at college and after.

"Then give me a minute to bring the potion" Ginny said happily pacing toward the door that opened suddenly and an olive skinned starry eyes woman stepped in.

"Pierce" The woman exclaimed; and Ginny stepped back giving the woman some space to move in, who paced toward the bed and hugged Pierce tightly.

"Good morning Lydia" Pierce smiled with true happiness at the woman who was no other than his beloved wife.

"You fool" Lydia said sobbing "I knew one day you will be injured so badly; I don't want my daughter to be orphaned that fast"

Pierce returned the Hug with his free arm before speaking "Don't worry love. You know that I'm too stubborn to die that easily"

"I'll leave you two to yourselves" Ginny said softly before stepping out of the room.

"Thank you Doctor …" Lydia said sincerely as Ginny walked out of the room.

"Well, there goes my savior" Pierce said comically "Who coincidently appeared to be my partner's sister"

"Hermione? I never knew she had a sister" Lydia cocked her eyebrows.

"No, not Hermione; our new partner Ronald Weasley; you have to meet him one day, he's a cool guy, and he's British" Pierce answered

"He is too! Looks like Britain will soon have no detectives" Lydia said jokily and Pierce laughed at her comment.

Lydia suddenly kissed her husband on the lips catching him off guard "What's the occasion?" Pierce asked

Lydia smiled an evil smile before answering "I knew you won't remember" she kissed him again "Happy anniversary"

"Ah, damn" Pierce clapped his forehead "Sorry love, I didn't buy you a gift yet, but as soon as these doctors release me I mmff …" he was muffled as she kissed him before he complete his sentence.

"I don't need any gifts" Lydia said slowly "You are the best gift I've ever had"

Pierce felt his heart glow "I love you" he said before kissing her.

\---------------------------------------------

Ginny was leaning against her locker with her eyes closed and her breath slowed almost to a halt. First Harry and now him; when will she learn not to fall for dark haired handsome men? Moreover, he is a married man and her patient to boot, and she didn't want to jeopardize Patient-Doctor relationship and therefore her career.

With that resolve, she opened her locker and started to rummage through the contents oblivious to the person who sneaked inside the locker room "Where is it? I know it's here"

"Gotcha" Someone screamed from behind causing the red-headed doctor to jump in surprise "Eeeeep"

"Ouch! I think my eardrums have ruptured" the sneaky person, who was none other than her colleague and friend Alicia, said while plugging her ears.

"You deserve that" Ginny replied angrily "Don't you ever sneak up on me again; you might cause a heart attack to that person" She said in apparent anger, and Alicia replied nonchalantly.

"Hello!! We're in a hospital if you haven’t noticed" she then looked over her shoulder "What are you searching for anyway?"

"None of your damn business" Ginny said sternly causing her friend to retort "Ouch! Your American is starting to be pretty damn good" She then pulled a small flask out of her pocket "I might need to apply this on the burned area"

"What the bloody-" Ginny yelled in surprise "Give that back! You should know better than to snoop about other people properties?"

Alicia calmly tossed the flask back to her friend "Here ya' go. What is it, anyway?"

"Curiosity Killed the Cat" Ginny said annoyed and checking the bottles "And don't do that ever again"

"Boo-hoo, you are no fun" Alicia said pouting as Ginny was walking out of the room.

Alicia unintentionally, and thankfully, disturbed her thoughts; she could now look at this encounter in a new light. She was not raised a home-wrecker.

Ginny reached Pierce room and was about to open the room, but her mind told her not to; she leaned by the door to listen. They were talking about their anniversary; this was another reason not to hurt them.

She knocked the door politely before she entered "I got the medication Mr. McLaden" She said his formal name while he looked quizzically "Keep in mind that it is a traditional remedy which, as a doctor, I seriously condone if not for the results I witnessed myself"

"It is … Safe?" Lydia looked at the unrecognizable bottle in Ginny's hand.

"As safe as a normal medicine which you take per instructions, Mrs. McLaden" Ginny answered "And like any other medicine, not following the instructions can cause serious side effects. First, you must take one tablespoonful every six hours for one day, and do not miss a single dose or the medication will not take its full effect. Secondly, you will feel certain side effects, like bone itching and restlessness; unfortunately these side effects are necessary as they indicate that the drug is taking effect, so bed resting is mandatory"

Lydia looked in victory at her husband "At last I can get you to rest, and it is now mandatory" Pierce groaned at her remark.

Ginny continued "Lastly, the remains of the bottle must be emptied in the sink and the bottle itself should be washed thoroughly before being disposed properly"

"Is that all … Ginny"

"Yes it is; your discharge papers will be finished in a few minutes; and I will visit first thing in the morning to check your progress personally"

"Thanks Ginny" Pierce smiled at her, and was surprised she didn't return his smile like before.

"No need to thank me, it is my job after all … Mr. McLaden" and she stepped out of the room.

"Isn't she nice, it's the first time I see a doctor that concerned about any patient" Lydia exclaimed happily.

"Yes she is" Pierce answered while pondering _'Why the dry tone?'_

His thoughts where interrupted by her wife's calling "Shall we go dear?"

\---------------------------------------

"No!! I will not take part in this insane plan!!" Harry said in anger causing his best friend to rely firmly.

"Because …" Ron said pressing on his words "We don't want any other 'unfortunate' accidents"

"But we would look so suspicious; an inspector who's just got transferred from England, that's you; and a private detective, also British, investigating a case that, by chance, is the same case the police are investigating. Come on Ron, if it gets any more suspicious than that we would invite them to our hidout" Harry said sarcastically.

"And it is the only plan we got, unless you have another one" Ron replied firmly.

"That is not the only reason I refuse such a plan and you know it …" Said Harry in a dark knowing tone, and Ron couldn't help but to sigh.

"Mate …" said the Redhead calmly "You know that it was an inevitable death. You couldn't save Davis even if you tried; you were still a Junior Auror and up against elite death eaters"

"He was my friend, dammit!!" Harry flew in an outburst that caused his friend to flinch "What good is a person if he couldn't save his closest friend"

"He was a police inspector …" Ron retorted "He was not unaware of the dangers of the profession" Harry huffed without words because he was too angry to rely "I know why you are angry, Harry. It is not because of Davis' death, but because you are afraid"

Harry's body stiffened as Ron continued "You are afraid to body with muggles because you are afraid of losing these friends again" He then added with a mischievous smile "After all; you are still wet behind the ears …"

Harry frowned upon Ron's last sentence; he knew how to incite him into doing things against his will, he was his best mate after all "Okay …" He said "I will accept it for now, but if anything went wrong I'll quit it immediately"

"Just don't quit because someone patted your shoulder from behind" Ron said with the same smile and Harry said wagging a warning finger at Ron as blood rushed to his head "Ron … I'm warning you"

"Okay, okay … Hothead" Ron muttered, and Harry pretended he hasn't heard the comment "So … When should I start then, genius?"

"Today …"

"Today?! But it is Sunday" Harry protested

"Come on Harry; did you think that only aurors work on the weekends? And Pierce will be at hospital for at least ten days so you won't have any problem of being exposed quickly; he was the one who overlooked the duel, after all" Ron said with fervor.

"He never took a detailed look at us, but that Granger woman saw at least a glimpse of my face in the ally, and she may recognize me"

"Don't worry mate, your Quidditch maneuvers plus the results of your unknown training caused her quite a shock yesterday. I doubt she will remember anything today because she has gone all hysterical yesterday" Ron answered howled with laughter, and Harry felt much remorse in his heart.

"I truly didn't want to hurt her" Harry said with sorrow.

"You didn’t do anything mate, you just did what you had to do, even if it freaked her a little"

"A little?!" Harry Interjected bitterly "It freaked her a lot from what I saw!"

"Anyway, let's be on our way; it is almost time, and don't forget your fake ID and credentials" Ron said looking at his watch, and they both stepped out of the HQ.

\--------------------------------------

Hermione sat up from her bed gasping; she looked around trying to grasp her surroundings.

"What happened?" She said loudly before noticing she is at her flat.

_'Last thing I remember is walking through the alley, then … Nothing'_ she looked worried _'I don't remember a thing, what happened between the time of the alley and now; all I can remember is … Nothing'_. She glanced at the electronic calendar which was flashing 'Sunday'; _'At least I didn't miss a single day'_.

Her chain of thoughts was interrupted by the ringing phone; she stood up and made her way to the kitchen counter where the phone was.

"Hello"

"Hermione dear" a woman voice came out of the speaker.

"Mum, why are you calling that early?" Hermione said in mixture of surprise and annoyance as she picked the clock beside her bed

"Thank God you are all right, it was the only way I could catch you, haven't you listened to any voice message on your recorder?"

"Actually, no … I was busy in the last few days and I didn't have the time" Hermione answered while turning on the screen of her voice message recorder, it was choking with messages.

"Please Hermione; give yourself a break, your father and I are very concerned about you, and your aunt made us feel no better"

"Aunt Janis! What did she say to you?!" Hermione asked with the more annoyance, her aunt was living in Los Angeles and was acting like a spy for her parents, she gave her parents the media's opinion on the police activities, which was no more correct than the tabloids, and the encounter last night will be on today's newspapers … Hermione groaned soundly.

"Something wrong dear?" Her mother sound came concerned from the speaker.

"Nothing you will not know today" Hermione said indifferently.

"We prefer to learn it from you young woman" Her father stern voice came from the speaker.

"MUM!! Are you through the speaker again?!" Hermione disgruntled.

"You know your father dear; he insisted on joining the conversation" Her mother said while giggling at her bitterness.

"Well, shall you tell us what the bloody is happening down there?" Her father asked with the same stern tone, and she knew better than to clash heads with her father.

"Okay, okay … there is some commotion down here, but not to worry, we will control it in no time" Hermione said dismissively.

"Really?! Do you consider a fugitive Drug Lord some commotion'?" Her father said in a firm tone that barely covered a sarcastic one underneath.

"Dad!! Don't make a fuss about it; you know I can handle this situation myself!!" Hermione almost yelled at her father.

"She is right Dan, maybe you need to relax a bit" Her mother said to her husband Dan Granger.

Hermione heard her father exhale loudly via the phone "You are right Emma; I'll get something to drink and you deal with your bloody daughter" Hermione heard her father's stinging words and couldn't help but to feel the stinging reaching her heart.

"Mom, what is wrong with dad? Has he returned to drinking again?"

She heard her mother sigh before answering "You have to understand your father dear, ever since you joined Scotland Yard he felt so uncomfortable seeing his daughter chasing criminal gits across the streets; and when you came with the transfer order to America, well … That was the last straw for him, he drowned his fear and sorrow in the bottle wanting to forget the fact that his daughter, his only and beloved daughter, has gone away from him, and now she is being chased down by a mad Drug Lord who wants her head …"

Hermione didn't comment, and an utter silence encased the conversation before her mother break the shell "So, I've called to give my condolences to you for the loss of your boyfriend"

"Thanks mom …" Hermione said in a much calmer tone unlike her first one "He wasn't my boyfriend, but a good friend nonetheless. We haven't even known each other for more than a month; and now he's dead" Hermione said as the sadness overcame her tone "Do you believe that we didn't even share a meal?"

"Really?! Well don't worry, I hope you overcome his loss and look for another boyfriend that will compensate you thoroughly; your father and I can't wait to see our grandchildren" Emma said in overjoyed tone, and Hermione felt herself blush "MUM!!"

"What? You can't blame me for wishing you the best; at least you will be occupied with your children and leave the job"

"I will never leave my job, mum" Hermione said fiercely.

"I know, your rebellious nature wouldn't allow this for the time being, but you will let go of it eventually, as your father left his old rebellious ways the moment you were born"

"Really! My father _was_ a rebel? I can't imagine that" Hermione said in surprise.

"You don't know the half of it; he was the number one rebel of the college, and somewhat hippie too" Emma was enjoying the memories she passed on her daughter who was in a fit of laughter as she can hear through the phone.

"Mum … A rebel I can accept, but a _hippie_!!" Hermione commented as she entered another fit of laughter.

"And a sour loser too; he once accepted a drinking match from one of the students there and took a beating, and got depressed for over a week; I have to remember showing you the college album next time we meet" Emma said in a meaningful tone.

"It may be a long time before we see each other mom" Hermione answered hesitantly, and then she heard a noise from her mother's side and she recognized her father's voice.

"Emma dear, you are right; I need to relax a bit" Dan said and Hermione felt uneasiness because she can hear a hint of victorious tone in her father's voice.

"Dad, what are you up to" Hermione said with a hint of fear.

"Your mother said I need to relax a bit; so I'm going to take her advice and take a holiday, I'll call work and inform my assistant to take the mater in her hands for the next couple of months; you and I are going on a vacation dear"

"Where to?" Hermione asked with caution.

"America of course" the victorious tone was now obvious in his voice, and she groaned loudly as she heard her mother chuckle.

"Please dad" Hermione said but she couldn't complete the sentence as her father interrupted her "Shove it young woman; we need a vacation and we need to see our daughter; so beat it" and the last thing she heard is her mother laughing loudly.

Hermione dragged herself to her bedroom and threw herself on her bed. "Unbelievable" She said loudly; she remained lying down for a minute before standing up and getting ready for another day at work.

\----------------------------------

Ron pushed the doors of the precinct open while urging Harry to hurry up.

"Oi Harry, let's move along. Shall we?" Ron looked back and yelled at Harry who lagged behind staring at the lobby.

"Harry, what's wrong?" Ron asked before hearing a commotion turning toward the lobby. The lobby was buzzing and some police officers are running back and forth between a couple of covered bodies. And captain Maronski was arguing with another officer.

"Captain Maronski, good morning sir" Ron greeted his boss half-heartedly.

"How frigging good is with all that, Weasley" Maronski rumbled

"What happened sir?" Ron asked nervously.

"Are you blind? Don't you see the bodies? Someone's broke into the precinct last night and gunned down two officers"

"For what purpose?"

"God knows why; it is truly a scandal" Maronski replied breathing out loudly, then noticed Harry's presence and straightened his glasses before asking "And who might you be?"

"He is a private detective, sir" Ron answered hastily "He said he has vital information about the murders"

"Humph, so what if he has; the feds are taking over the case" Maronski said in the same angry manner and pointed at formally dressed men.

"WHAT?" Ron exclaimed "I can't believe it?"

"Believe it … Detective Weasley, I presume" A stone-faced man advanced toward our heroes.

"Yes, and who might you be?" Ron asked bitterly

"Special agent Johnson, FBI …" The said man flashed his badge and flipped it back into his pocket "We are taking over the case as you people seem to be … Incompetent" Johnson said with a hint of sneer in his voice.

"INCOMPETENT?! Who is the incompetent, you git?!" Ron said and was about to throw himself on the FBI agent, but Harry pulled him back

"Don't, Ron. He is not worth it" Harry said calmly.

Johnson didn't flinch, and kept his stone face while saying "Just give me a reason to snatch your gun n' badge" then he stared down at Harry before asking "Are you a detective too?"

"A private detective" Harry stared directly at the agent's eyes.

Agent Johnson twisted his face in disapproval "We do not allow amateur to meddle with our cases"

Before Harry was able to say anything, Ron blurted "Maybe you, but he is a vital witness for us"

Harry felt annoyed at Ron's statement and looked back to Johnson, who scowled at what he heard "Then he will answer to us FBI"

"Sorry, not today" Harry said indifferently and pushed Ron toward the lift.

"Thanks Ron, thanks a lot" Harry said with a hint of anger "Now I have to deal with that idiot"

Ron lowered his head in remorse "I'm sorry Harry, I was angry"

"Well, there was no need for you to throw me in the middle of your turmoil"

They reached the third floor and made their way toward the team office. Ron unlocked the door and ushered Harry to enter.

"Weird" Ron said "It is always Hermione who unlocks the office first"

Harry, who has cooled down, looked in amusement "Really! With all this work dedication I suspect id she ever has a life"

"Like you have one yourself" Ron replied sarcastically and Harry didn't comment.

"I forgot to inform you Ron; McGonagall flued me, there is an Order meeting next month, the day is still not specified"

"Really?! I can't remember when the last order meeting took place" Ron said in surprise.

"Apparently … Before Professor Dumbledore's murder"

"Blimey! That far?!"

"This is because the Order members took quite a hit emotionally and physically. You know the emotional part is Dumbledore's death, but the physical part is from the Giants attack on Hogwarts which was defended by the Order members during the final battle; many of them were injured but no one killed, thank God for that, then the Centaurs came to their aid; since then the Order has been lying low. I also need to tend to some matters in Gringotts before the meeting. So be prepared to leave a day before the meeting"

"Alright Harry, I mean Mr. Gringotts owner" Ron said sarcastically.

Harry shrugged is shoulders before replying "I'm just a major shareholder, along with Malfoy"

Ron's mood suddenly darkened as he muttered "You mean he's a major arse"

Their conversation came to an end when the door was opened and seemingly annoyed Hermione entered, she came to a halt when she saw Harry and looked at him skeptically.

"Morning Hermione" Ron said cheerfully

"Morning, Ron. A new intern, I presume?" Hermione looked at Harry curiously.

"He's a friend of mine, actually … From England" Ron said nervously thinking _'I hope it works'_.

"Harry Potter" Harry said taking the cue from Ron and extending his hand "Pleasure to meet you"

"The pleasure is mine" Hermione said "And what kind of profession are you in Mister Potter?"

"I am a private detective; I used to work in England and was following a complicated case which led me here in Los Angeles"

"May I ask what kind of case it is?" Hermione said in manner of statement more than a question.

"Actually, I cannot violate the rights of my clients by revealing the information, but I can see that our paths has met; so I can expose some of the information, since we will work with each other and all" Harry said calmly

"I think both of you noticed that the FBI blokes are taking over, and why do you want for us to work together?" Hermione replied.

Harry looked straight into her eyes before answering "Because nothing would please me more than making that dunce-of-an-agent Johnson eating his word about amateur detectives"

Hermione chuckled at his statement "The desire is mutual, I think"

Harry, because he read her profile, knew that this is a possible reaction, and know she will accept; he replied with a smile "I'll take that as a 'yes' detective; and rest assured, I will not give that fool any vital information, in fact I won't give him anything at all"

"I know that bloke from before; he will enjoy pestering you for the information you have; he might even go far and arrange a court order"

"I would love to see him try" Harry replied with a gleam in his eyes.

Hermione caught the gleam in his eyes, and for the first time since the beginning of their conversation she noticed his emerald-green eyes; she never saw such green eyes before, yet she feels that she saw knew them; she took her time thinking while admiring his eyes; she can see his strong will, his gentleness, and, to her surprise, sorrow and pain.

"Well then, I think we will work together after all, Mr. Potter" and she smiled at him.

"It's Harry, then" Harry said politely.

"And it's Hermione for you too, Harry" She said with the same smile, and harry knew he was in. and at that moment his face turned grim when he remembered a similar moment he shared with a certain older inspector.

Harry was fighting his demons when he heard Hermione calling "Are you alright Harry?"

"I'm fine" The dark haired man replied shaking off his dark thoughts and smiled "Just a passing memory"

She heard Ron clearing his throat before speaking "What should we do now after all that mess?"

"Heading to the morgue of course" she replied

"But the FBI took control of every aspect of the case" Ron stated

"They are still at the lobby, and I like to piss Johnson by checking the victim's body before him"

"This is more my style, I think I'm beginning to like you" Harry said and noticed the hint of blush on her face _'Have I said anything wrong'_ he thought to himself.

They made their way toward the elevator not noticing a pair of eyes that was following them.

"It is complicated now" The owner of the eyes said.

\-------------------------------

Pierce felt the sunlight searing his eyelids and groaned loudly. He felt the bed sheets pulled away.

"Wakey wakey, sleepy lazy" his wife whispered in his ears.

"Another ten minutes honey" he said and shifted right.

"Humph, you are either a work freak or a sleepy lazy; you have to balance your life dear, look who came for help" Pierce felt a small weight on his shoulders; when he looked up, he saw a pretty innocent gray eyes looking at him.

"Hey there sugar" He said holding his daughter Sherry up.

"This was the only way I could wake you up" Lydia said hugging him lovingly.

"You know I can't resist my sweat angel" Pierce said and tickled his daughter who giggled loudly.

"How's your arm" Lydia asked with worriedly.

"Well, it's good, and I'm surprised; it feels a bit itchy, but I shouldn't be able to move it until the next week"

"I think it is the effect of that doctor's recipe" Lydia said

"Yeah, I shouldn't be complaining" Pierce hugged his wife "And I love you"

"What was that about" Lydia said smiling.

"Nothing, will you sue me because I said I love my wife?"

"No, but it has been a while since I heard you saying that"

"Well, get used to it; because I will not stop it"

"Dada" their daughter said; and caused them to turn their heads in a shock.

"Did she … she …" Pierce stuttered.

"Yes" Lydia hugged him with glistening teary eyes.

"Dada" Sherry said again with an innocent smile.

"She spoke …" Pierce exclaimed hugging both his wife and daughter _'Life can't get any better'_ he thought to himself.

\-----------------------------------------

During this time, a suspicious phone call was taking place

"Hola"

"It's me"

The man on the other side of the phone didn't speak; he heard rustling before someone pick up the phone again.

"Speak" a deep voice came out of the speaker

"Who the hell are you? You are not him" the called asked with discomfort.

"Let's say I'm an … associate of him" the deep voice

"To hell with you, I will only speak with him"

"If you want to keep your job, then you will answer to me now"

The caller swallowed the lump that formed in his throat before answering "OK, now can I ask who you are?"

"Tsk-tsk … Are you really that thick; what if the line was bugged and somebody was eavesdropping; you will be in an unpleasant situation, and I will be long gone. Now, tell me what's bothering you"

"That British detective, Hermione Granger is the name; she is too nosy and too stubborn, she might go deep; and you will be in trouble"

"Don't worry, she will not see the unseen, nor will she feel the unfelt"

"What the hell does that mean?" the caller demanded.

"Don't bother yourself with that, you will not understand. Now, for the time being let her do her chores; she will tire herself with no benefit gained"

"You will not be that confidant when I tell you that; _he_ is here, and they seem to work together now"

" _He_ … You mean the one we gave you his picture" The deep voice said with a hint of discomfort.

"Yes" the caller said in indifference.

"That is not good for us" the deep voice was not in clear discomfort.

"I still don't see how a single man, especially a young one who seems to be green would cause you to be that concerned"

The deep voice chuckled before answering "Believe me when I say, he is far more experienced than you are; and if you were in to witness what experience he has encountered you would have pissed in your knickers"

The caller grumbled but never commented, and the deep voice continued "Nevertheless, he still our enemy, a formidable enemy, but still an enemy and a nuisance; and must be dealt with cunningly and swiftly"

"And may I ask how are you gonna do it?" the caller asked with impatience.

"You'll see; I assure you that he will be in a sticky position" and the deep voice chuckled then hung up.

\--------------------------------------

The elevator door opened slowly, and the trio made their way toward the morgue, Hermione opened the door and called "Hello, anybody here"

"Yes; welcome to the morgue, detective Granger" a middle-aged woman came out of a distant annexed office.

"Helen! I thought you were on vacation" Hermione exclaimed at the woman, who smiled at her before answering "I returned early"

Hermione introduced Harry and Ron to the Pathologist and vice versa "This is Ronald Weasley the new detective, and this is Harry Potter a private investigator working on the same case. Harry, Ron; this is Dr. Helen Grant, our most precious and trusted pathologist"

Helen looked straight at Harry, who did the same; then she broke a smile and spoke "Pleasure to meat you"

"The pleasure is mine" Harry replied with a similar smile.

"Aren't PIs disallowed from interfering with the police cases?" Helen asked Hermione who shrugged before grinning mischievously "This is FBI case now, Johnson's to be precise; and I'm more that willing to interfere with any case that jerk is on"

"I see; and since I didn't receive any notice regarding that I am still at your service"

"Now, after the introduction and the warm greetings; can we start with our business Helen? We want to check the body of the last victim"

"Ahh, you see Hermione; there is a problem" Helen said pointing at the dissection table "The body is no longer here"

"WHAT? What happened? Who took it?" Hermione yelled and Harry paced toward the table.

"No one …" Harry said moving his hand over the table "It is still here but it has been burned to crisp"

"That's right" Helen replied "After I heard the commotion upstairs I came down and checked up everything; I found the body of the last vic in this state; only this body was incinerated, the other victims are still in their former state"

"This is not good" Hermione said, and Harry thought _'Truly, it is bad; the incindio spell covered any trace of the original spell that killed the victim'_

"But don't worry, I was here yesterday and examined the body thoroughly before this _'unfortunate accident'_ has occurred" Helen said gaining the attention of the trio.

"Really?! Helen, you are my hero; I owe you one, please gimme the report; gimme gimme gimme" Hermione said while bouncing up and down.

"Whoa Hermione; calm down, the report will not fly away" Ron said holding Hermione shoulders.

"Yes, but Johnson can fly in any minute"

"Someone called my name?" The door opened and Johnson stepped in "My my, if it isn't my favorite detective; how are you doing Granger?"

"Faring well, Johnson" Hermione said in spitting manor.

"Tampering with the evidence, are we?" Johnson sneered.

"Well, can't hide that from an expert meddler like you" Hermione said slyly causing Johnson to grimace.

"Enough games, woman. I demand your leave immediately" the agent snapped.

"I still want to check the remains" Hermione insisted.

"Haven't you heard me you wench; this is an FBI case now, this is not a case for a chick like you; and who is playing with the air condition?" Johnson finished his sentence with a shiver as the temperature dropped sharply, if Johnson turned his head toward Harry, he would faint from the murderous glares Harry's eyes were shooting, and the hint of aura that engulfed his body. Luckily, only Ron witnessed that and whispered _"Harry, not here; control your temper"_

Harry took a deep breath and calmed down; the aura around him disappeared and the temperature returned to normal.

"That's better; now for the last time woman, leave with your so-called partner and that playboy PI" Johnson said pointing at the door. Hermione and Ron took off; but Harry stood his ground. And waited for Hermione to be far enough so she can't witness what he will do.

"Haven't you heard me asshole?"

"Of course I heard you, and I have one word for you" Harry said coldly.

"And what is it?"

" _Stupefy_ " Harry said with his wand at hand, and Johnson fell unconscious.

"Stupid jerk" Harry said in spitting manner "Now Sofia, hand me the reports" Harry extended his hand to the pathologist who was none other than the metamorphagus auror.

"Certainly sir" the pathologist replied and handed the reports to Harry "This is for you and this is for detective Granger; make sure you don't mix them, as yours contain details about the spell used on the victim; I couldn't identify it though" Harry nodded to her stepping over Johnson's body and said before exiting "Revive him then give him a fresh memory about this incident"

Harry paced toward the elevator, where he found Hermione and Ron waiting for his.

"What happened?" Hermione asked quickly, and then gleamed when Harry handed her the report before answering "Nothing; I just had a word with Johnson and convinced him to see things from our point of view"

Hermione grinned widely and said "I never thought that someone would influence that brat Johnson to do such a thing"

Harry shrugged and replied "There is always a first time" he didn't notice Hermione's gaze upon him; she held her look for a minute thinking _'Who are you really, Harry Potter …'_

\---------------------------------------

"Disgusting …" Pierce spat a coughed after he gulped the second dose of the potion.

"It should be dear, it is medicine" Lydia said casually.

"Why don't you try some love; it would be nice to have a second opinion" Pierce said slyly between his coughs.

"No thanks, I believe you completely" she said hurriedly, and the doorbell rang; Lydia stood up and walked toward the entrance while Pierce lied on the bed and play with his daughter; he recently knew that she was ticklish and her neck was her weak spot; he began his attack and Sherry was in a fit of laughter.

"Pierce; stop it or she will suffocate" Lydia was standing at the door frowning with Ginny beside her holding her bag.

"Good morning Mr. McLaden; I see that your condition has improved" Ginny greeted while beaming, and Pierce couldn't help but to feel uncomfortable at the formal address.

"Good morning to you my savior; I owe all this to you and your magical potion; it's amazing" Pierce replied the greetings and noticed Ginny's slight flinch "Are you alright yourself"

"Yes, thank you" Ginny answered hastily, and then tried to revert to the main subject "Do you feel any pain when you move your arms and legs?"

"No, they are just a bit itchy like you said to me yesterday" Pierce answered physically by moving his pro-injured arm. Ginny took the stethoscope out of her bag and began her examination, Pierce handed sherry to his wife and straightened himself.

"Please take off your shirt" Ginny asked calmly while examining his arm.

"Can you withstand my animal magnetism while I'm half-naked?" Pierce asked mischievously; Lydia glared at her husband and Ginny couldn't help but chuckle.

"Don't worry; I see dozens of you daily" Ginny replied causing Pierce to pout "Hey, that's a low blow"

"You deserve it dear" Lydia said grinning wickedly "At last someone is bold enough to bring you down"

Ginny smiled but didn't comment; she completed her examination and then stood up "That's all; your arm is nearly healed up and your rest limbs are following. Have you followed my instructions correctly?"

"Yes, and I still don't believe that I was injured badly only yesterday"

Ginny smiled before answering "The miracle of Natural treatment; just complete the dose regimen and your wounds will be healed completely, see you later"

"Dr. Weasley, please; why don't you stay for breakfast" That was from Lydia while cuddling Sherry who was in a laughing fit.

"I would love to, but I have to rest for some time before my shift starts; just make sure Mr. McLaden completes the regimen and rest for at least three days before returning to work"

"I will, thank you doctor; and we're sorry for troubling you"

"Don't be, it is my duty to look after the patients. He's my brother's partner, after all" Ginny answered, then the two women shook hands and Ginny left the house.

\------------------------------------------

"Nothing new in the report; not a bloody thing" Hermione exclaimed in frustration throwing her report on her desk.

"Hermione relax; we were expecting this, didn't we?" Ron said trying to calm his partner.

"I know, but I was hoping to find something, a single detail that can bring me some comfort; I'm going to be mental" Hermione said the last words while holding her head between her hands.

"Actually, I thing I have a theory" Hermione's jumped on her feet and looked at Harry who said these words, causing Harry to flinch at her reaction.

"You really are mental" That was from Ron who was rewarded by an evil glare, Hermione then walked to Harry and spoke "Do you really understand anything in this mad case? Which reminds me, you didn't share your previous knowledge about the case; care to do this now?"

"It is unwise speak of vital information in here, with Johnson and his blokes all over the please" Harry said calmed in an almost whisper voice.

"Oh, I forgot about that dimwit; how about the café across the precinct, they are serving excellent English tea there" Hermione said in eagerness

"Only if it was my treat" Harry said with a smile, and stood up showing his approval.

"Okay, let's go" Hermione said with enthusiasm. Ron, on the other hand, stood up and took Harry's morgue report "I will stay here in case anything comes up, and I will check the report again for any detail; you go on with your date lovebirds"

Harry sniggered while Hermione flushed deeply and yelled "RON; this is a professional meeting, not a date" and she stormed out of the office.

Harry turned to Ron smiling and said "You really can't restrain your cheek"

Ron shrugged before answering "No; Now go on with your meeting, I will send the report to Dick so he can send it to Malfoy; just be cautious, the streets are not safe these days with both Flint and Muerte gaining the courage to attack anytime"

Harry shrugged and replied "You know me; I don't look for trouble but trouble looks for me" and then he stepped out of the office

"Honestly, can't he see the embarrassment he causes to the people by his irritating remarks?" Hermione said in annoyance.

"That's Ron, a Weasley through and through; if you want to be embarrassed even more you have to meet his brothers Fred and George, they are imps in the form of twins and can cause a double trouble, they were the most famous pranksters in our school days"

Hermione laughed at the remark until they reached the elevator; she pushed the down button, and then she looked at Harry with questioning eyes "I see that you speak of Ron as more than an acquaintance; how come you know him that good; and how come you joined him here in Los Angeles and now both of you are working 'co-incidentally' on the same case?"

Harry took a deep breath, and then entered the now-open elevator while reviewing his already-made answer before speaking "Ron and I know each other from school days; we attended the same school, graduated together, and both have chosen the career of law enforcement. He has chosen to work in the police forces, but I preferred to be free, I chose to be a private detective"

"Interesting story, and what college have you attended?"

"Liverpool University College of Law" Harry said the first thing came to his mind.

"Really?!" Hermione exclaimed "I attended this very college, but how come we never met; it was a small college after all"

"Maybe we weren't in the same year" Harry tried to correct his mistake.

"Maybe …" Hermione said and before she could ask again he asked her himself "If you are a law major, how come you joined the law enforcement"

"Well, I was never content with the mundane routines of lawmaking with all the scribbling" She replied "And I found out that it is a good way to meet people

Harry looked at her in confusion "I do believe that we are talking about police business and not a dating service" Hermione chuckled at his remark and retorted "I know … But I feel more comfortable dealing with lowlifes; at least they are honest about their criminal activities unlike politicians"

They both laughed at the image as they reached the café. It was a small place two blocks away from the precinct and it was not crowded; they easily found a table outside the café. The waiter came to them and handed a menu each, then went to check another customer.

"So" Hermione looked at him expectantly.

"Okay, where should I begin?" he looked left and right to ensure safety, and wished he could cast the silencing spell "Me and Ron had a mutual case when we were in England, there was a group of cult fanatics called themselves the 'Death Eaters', they were a group of people who share a vision of blood purity and a goal of eradicating the world of the other races; not unlike any other supremacist groups , their former leader has been eliminated, but the group itself was not weakened for a new leader has been picked, or should I say emerged, this new leader goes by the name of Marcus Flint, he is a dangerous foe, and highly intelligible; he pulled the death eaters into hiding for a year before emerging again  and killing a fellow death eater who was captured during the former Dark Lord elimination"

Harry didn't notice that he said 'Dark Lord', but Hermione noticed it and remembered what Ron has said to her yesterday.

FLASHBACK

_"You are not alone; and you remind me of a friend, who also was a target since he was one year old, his parents died by the hands of the Dark Lord himself in an attempt to save him, he then ……"_

END FLASHBACK

_'This is not a co-incidence'_ she said to herself _'but then again, maybe that fanatic leader called himself a Dark Lord, I have to check up with the blokes in Scotland Yard, maybe they have something to share about this case'_

"Hermione, are you okay" she looked at the concerned Harry who stopped speaking

"Yes, thank you for your concern"

"If you want me to stop …"

"No please … Continue"

"Okay, as I said, they killed their fellow death eater to prevent us from interrogate him thoroughly; after that we followed the tracks of the murderer which led us here in Los Angeles"

"Your orders' sir" the waiter asked Harry politely, who looked at Hermione "What do you want Hermione"

"Earl Gray tea, please" she answered.

"Make it two, please" Harry told the waiter, who write it down and went inside.

Harry cleared his throat before continuing "When I came here, I searched for any information about the death eaters and any related unusual incidents; and I found some troubling information. It seems that the death eaters have allied themselves with the Columbian cartel; they also were the ones responsible for the prison break"

"How could you find this valuable information while the whole LAPD is striving to get a bit of logic in this case? You are not a normal PI Harry" Hermione said in awe and curiosity, the waiter brought the tea for them.

"You can say that I have friends in high places; I also have a bit of information about the weapon used in murder. The death eaters have stolen a secret weapon from the MI-5 labs, it is a beam weapon that can cut, destroy, move, or manipulate matter into what the caster want; this beam weapon is as small as a wooden stick and look like on too, it does not leave any mark on the victim's body or the surrounding area"

Hermione was dumbfounded by what she heard; she stirred her tea for a minute before speaking "Unbelievable, who would think of creating such terrible weapon?"

"The weapon is only an instrument used by the person. It is the person's will that can turn this weapon into good or evil" Harry answered calmly.

"If this weapon was developed by the MI-5, how come you know about it?"

"The news of robbery spread among the police force quickly, especially when the weapon is used constantly, and I had some 'contacts' amongst them who informed me of the whole story" Harry answered then looked at Hermione "Any questions?"

"Many, actually" Hermione said "I witnessed a fight between your 'Death eaters' and another group; who was they, I don't know, But I can clearly say that they were no death eaters. What I wanted to say that they were very, very fast; in fact, I think I almost swear that they teleported from place to another. But what I clearly remember is the bloke from the opposing group; he was by no means the fastest human I ever saw"

Harry at that point was nervous, but he kept his cool when spoke "The other group I don't know anything about it; but I can say that enemy of my enemy is my friend"

"I hope you are right" Hermione ensued and by the time she drank the last of her tea he waiter brought the check; she was about to left it up but Harry snatched it swiftly from between her fingers "I told you it is my treat"

Hermione was aback by Harry's speed when he snatched the check "You really are swift" she smiled at him _'Too swift for a mere detective'_ she thought to herself.

Harry pulled a twenty dollar banknote out of his wallet, put on the table, then stood up not waiting for the change. Hermione intrigued by his doings "So, PIs earnings are well after all?"

"I have a few stock shares her and there …" Harry shrugged.

"I'm really intrigued by your carefree way Mr. Potter" Hermione stated with a smile, Harry smiled in modesty and unconsciously rubbed his scar as he does whenever someone praised him; which caused her to notice the bolt-shaped scar.

"Harry, what's with the scar?"

Harry noticed that he revealed his scar with rubbing it "Nothing, just an old wound"

She looked thoroughly at his scar for a second before replying "It is too well formed to be an old wound"

"Let's say that I once met a lunatic murderer who likes to draw shaped wounds on his victims"

Hermione sensed his discomfort with the subject, so she didn't push further into it; and even attempted to change the course of the conversation.

"So, you say you were a renowned investigator back in England; how come I never heard of you?"

"I never said I'm renowned" Harry said in defense "I only said that I have some connections in Scotland Yard, you twisted my words"

"Hey, I didn't twist any words; only renowned investigators have connections in the yard"

Harry leaned forward and smiled "Maybe I cover my tracks very well", and Hermione felt her heart pounding and her breathing stop, she felt herself melting by his smile.

"Cute smile" she said without thinking, and both of them blushed at her remark with herself turning beet red. Harry only blushed a little but never said anything. They walked along the pavement without a word spoken, and Harry was the first to break the silence.

"What is your theory about the case at hand?" he asked Hermione, who nibbled with her lips like she always do when thinking hardly.

"I really don't know, for now there is only murder, nothing else"

"I know, it is really weird; but knowing Flint and his death eater fellows this is what pleasures them most. what interests me, however, is his alliance with the cartel leader; I never thought that the death eaters would ally themselves with mugg … mugs" Harry averted the mistake in the last second.

"I don't know about those cults; I even haven't heard of them when I was at the Yard; but you seem so keen in knowing their moves and ways, how come?"

"They are the first and only case I've been following since I became an investigator"

"Are they really that troubling?" Hermione asked with interest.

"They are just too organized to be destroyed easily" Harry answered, but then he stopped at the newspaper booth because an interesting title drew his attention.

He turned to Hermione and said "Hermione, would you mind get ahead of me to the police station; I think I'm going to check the newspapers for some time"

"No problem, just remember to call me or Ron from the lobby so we can get you through the lift to the third floor; it is restricted to the detectives of robbery and homicide"

Harry nodded at her; and she turned toward the precinct. Harry watched walking gently along the pavement for a minute; he seemed to be mesmerized by her casual walk, and he doesn't know why. He shook his head then turned his attention to the newspaper at hand.

 

_Los Angeles_ _Times Mar, 15th 2005 Page One_

**_THE PERFECT CRIME_ **

_The College of Science in LA University began their academic week by a terrible loss; the Electro-Magnetic Pulse Amplifier (Short-named EMPA) which was emplaced in the Lab of the Department of Physics; was found missing by the faculty members of the department. The EMPA owned by the aforementioned department is considered the most accomplished contraption of its kind as it has been stated by the Head of the department Prof. Trakovoski; we have obtained a decent interview with the professor as you can see below:_

_N.I. (News Interviewer): Good morning professor, what can you tell us about the incident?_

_Prof. T: This is not a good morning indeed; the most valuable device in the whole department has been stolen, not to mention the wasting of many incomplete research papers involving the use of it; many of the department researchers and post-graduate students depend on the EMPA in their research._

_N.I.: Can you tell us more about the EMPA, professor?_

_Prof. T: Well … As the name suggests, it is an Electro-Magnetic Pulse Amplifier; it has the same concept of the EMP cannon owned by the Pentagon and can knock; but it is much more powerful with half the size. One of our brilliant and most talented past-students worked into developing the regular EMP device and came with the EMPA. The regular EMP can knock out any electric device within a certain radius but still cannot knock out the power of a huge city like LA, and can transmit audio and video much faster than the Radio and TV waves; our EMPA can do the same thing with more efficiency. It is truly a disaster that it has been stolen, and weird too; I cannot think of any benefit gained from it outside the lab._

_N.I.: We are truly sorry for your loss professor._

_Next we interviewed the chief of University Security Office Mr. Landon Parks. And he seemed to be furious with the whole affair:_

_N.I.: Mr. Parks, greetings; can I have a minute of your time?_

_L.P.: Sure; but please be quick, we have an investigation to run._

_N.I.: Can you tell us about the security measures that have been applied in the EMPA lab during the night of the crime?_

_L.P.: We have been taken strict measures as we have been told about the value of the device. These measures include constant intermittent patrol, video surveillance, and magnetic card access._

_N.I.: With all these measures, how come that someone had access to the lab without notice?_

_L.P.: I really don't know; we have reviewed the video tape, and we only saw a black hooded person before the whole scene is cut. It is an inside job indeed; someone has provided the culprit a magnetic card which allowed him to enter and screwed with the security cameras. I promise this insider will be captured and served what's right to him._

_N.I.: We hope so too Mr. Parks._

_As you've read above, the crime couldn't have been done single-handedly; but still the purpose of the robbery is unknown, and who is the black hooded person._

 

Harry folded the newspaper and grimaced "What are you plotting Flint?" he stood thinking for a second 'Why do you care about muggle machinery all of the sudden?' he paid for the paper and walked toward the precinct, he saw Hermione crossing the road thirty meters away. Suddenly his sixth sense shot up. Harry noticed a car coming from afar, he didn't know why but he felt bad about it; he always trusted his sense of danger honed by his past experiences, and this time is no different from the others.

As he hastened toward Hermione his uneasy feelings came true; the care sped up when Hermione was in the middle of the road. Harry increased his pace into running in hope of catching up with her before the unfortunate happen.

"HERMIONE WATCH OUT!!" Harry yelled in desperation as he tried to close up; Hermione looked at him in confusion and suddenly she heard the screech of tires behind her, she froze as she saw the approaching car. And the pedestrians screamed in horror.

Nobody knew what happened exactly, but for Harry everything seemed to be in slow-motion; there were only three meters separating him from the frozen Hermione, he made up his mind and jumped toward her diving through the air for the whole three meters. He grabbed Hermione and twisted his body so he would fell on his back and not hurting her. He glanced at the speeding car and saw it turn around and the thugs are preparing their weapons for a drive-by shooting, Harry wandlessly threw a shield around himself and Hermione as soon as the thugs fired their weapons and covered her with his body; the bullets stopped dead in the middle of the air; he was angry with the thugs as he saw innocent people get shot and wished he could threw a Reductor curse at the car; but luck was at his side as he saw one of the thugs leaning out of the window, so he 'accio-ed' him out of the car and pushed him hard on the pavement all which have been done wandlessly, wordlessly, and motionlessly thanks to his raw magic; the thug went unconscious immediately after the impact and a nearby cop ran to him after he snapped out of his shock and cuffed him.

Harry turned his attention back to Hermione who was in a shock because of all what was happened just now.

"Hermione, are you okay" Harry asked worriedly as he saw her vacant expression "Hermione, stay with me"

"What have just happened?" Hermione asked with quivery voice.

"Those dimwits were about to murder you, luckily they were so thick that they couldn't aim correctly"

"But I saw the bullets hit an invisible wall, it wasn't a matter of bad aim" Hermione said while trying to stand up.

"Maybe it was your guardian angel" the already-standing Harry said and offered his hand to Hermione graciously who took it thankfully. She then walked toward the heap of bullets where the shield was erected; she was amazed by the amount of lead that was on the ground.

"It is indeed not a matter of bad aim" she muttered to herself.

"Well, I can't tell you anything about it; but there is something I'm positively sure of" Harry said and Hermione looked at him in confusion. He pointed at the fallen victims behind his shoulder and said calmly "This is a crime scene now".


	7. Interrogation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tension arose after the assassination attempt. and Harry found the chance to take a glimpse of the enemy's plans, while butting heads with the new muggle authorities ...

The street was buzzing with commotion as the ambulance cars pulled over near the crime scene, both Harry and Hermione were in an ambulance near the scene tended to by an EMT. Both of them were unharmed physically, thanks to Harry’s reflexes, but Hermione had just recovered from the shock and felt slightly dizzy. The EMT instructed her to lie down on a gurney he brought until she recovers, she tried to protest but the EMT left to tend to the wounded before she can say a single word and she pouted in disapproval.

"Hey, he is right you know; you have suffered enough being the main target in this whole mess" Harry said calmly

"No, I want to see the inflected damage myself" she tried to get up, but she felt dizzy and lost her balance; then suddenly she felt strong arms surrounding her, she looked up and saw that it was Harry; she felt uneasy and pulled herself up.

"T-Thank you" she said nervously, and Harry nodded at her; he could feel her nervousness but he thought it was because of her recent experience. After Hermione had regained her balance and was able so stand up, they both exited the vehicle and made their way towards the crime scene.

When they have passed the crowd with difficulty they saw how gruesome it was; there were at least six bodies lying lifeless in horrible positions, and about fifteen wounded with the EMT taking care of them. Hermione felt the disgust rising up inside her "Those beasts …" she muttered in fury and was fighting an oncoming tear with her self-dignity.

"At least one of them was fool enough to fall out of the car" Harry said "He can be our lead to the rest of the jokers" they were about to go and search for the fallen thug when they heard a familiar mocking voice "Well, well … Look who’s in the middle of the storm … As usual"

A familiar voice said from behind them, and Harry felt so angry since he knew who he was "What are you doing here Johnson?" Hermione was the first to turn and speak to the FBI agent who came with two other agents.

"I heard you were involved in the incident and wanted to see how much damage you inflected this time, and I can't believe you are improving every time, twenty five casualties?! This breaks you last record" Johnson answered with a malicious look in his eyes; and Hermione felt her heart stung at his remark.

"This was not her doing, if you are blind I can show you the way to one of the culprits myself" Harry said firmly with a sly tone.

"This does not concern you, four-eyes" Johnson said in a spitting manner.

"He is right Harry; all of this is because of … Me" Hermione said in a sad tone which caused Harry to boil with anger at Johnson.

"You see four-eyes, she is admitting it herself; such recklessness is not found among the FBI"

"First, it's Mr. Potter for you dimwit. And secondly; this is because the dolts have filled the whole slots" Harry retaliated quickly, and Johnson steamed.

"Enough chit-chat, we are taking control over the scene now. Agent Donaldson, agent Preston, escort these two out of here" Johnson said firmly, and the two agents ushered both of our heroes the exit of the scene.

Harry walked slowly beside the sad Hermione, and he felt was waiting for an excuse to pound Johnson to pulp for what he said to her. Johnson; as if he has took the cue, began to sneer at Hermione "You are a total failure Granger; why don't you pack up and return to penthouse you came from"

"That does it!" Harry yelled and turned toward the sneering agent. The two escort agents tried to stop him, but they felt themselves thrown back by an incredible force, and Johnson's eye widened at what he saw; his escort, who were not light-weight, were sent flying by a man of a smaller stature, and when he came to his senses he felt Harry's hands grabbing him by the collar and he felt every bone in his body screaming as he was pushed forcibly against the wall. Harry pulled one arm backwards preparing to land a fierce punch on his face when Hermione shouted at him.

"Harry … Please, he is not worth it; do not get yourself into trouble because of him … Please" Hermione plea touched Harry's heart; he stopped himself from landing the punch on Johnson and instead he hit the wall behind him just missing his head and eyed the terrified agent mortally.

“Hermione's plea saved you this time although you do not worth a dime; only next time it will not be the wall. If you ever hurt her in any way, physically or emotionally, you will not live to see another day, mark my words …” He looked into the terrified agent’s eyes and said “I do not make threats, but promises”

Johnson didn't speak; in fact, he couldn't. He was left frozen by the death glare Harry gave him; he even saw the fire raging in his emerald eyes behind the glasses, and he knew that he wasn't joking; Harry could take his life anytime he wants.

Harry dropped the gaping agent and moved toward Hermione; he ushered her to the exit of the scene and the crowd stepped aside and looked at Harry with a mix of fear and awe. Johnson stood there for a minute and tried to understand what happened; he looked at his incapacitated escort and back at the wall behind him and noticed several cracks where Harry had hit it and thought to himself _‘I should've brought more men …’_

Harry and Hermione walked to the precinct in silence and felt the piercing looks of the staff at his back; they reached the third floor and entered her office without a word spoken, and when Ron saw the grim look on their faces he slightly panicked.

"What happened?" Ron asked almost in whisper.

"There was a drive-by shooting in front of the precinct, and Hermione was the target" Harry answered with an angry glint.

"My God. Hermione, are you okay? Were you injured?"

"No, but many innocents are" she answered in a bitter tone that was noticed by Harry.

"Ron" Harry turned to his best mate "I think there is a culprit for you to interrogate" and looked at him with meaningful eyes.

"Oh, alright …" Ron said taking the cue and made his way to the holding cells.

Harry turned to the sad Hermione; he knew what she is feeling now as he experienced the same thing in the past, she is feeling guilty and responsible for all the deaths that happened; much like him when his godfather fell through the veil, and his mentor was killed by the traitor. He sighed deeply before speaking "Hermione, I'm sorry for the people who died, but you have to know that it is not you fault; your must not let the guilt consume you"

Hermione's body started to shake slightly as she answered "I-I don't know what to say or how do I feel about the whole thing, I feel like I was the one who has killed those people out there, I feel like I tainted them by being a walking target among them; they died because I was near them" Hermione finished her remark with tears glistening in her eyes.

"No you are not" Harry said firmly yet in a gentle way; he had experienced the same thing before and used to feel the same guilt and self-loathing during Voldemort's reign of terror, and he didn't want anyone else to have the same feeling "It was not your fault Hermione, they are the ones who killed those people, not you"

"I just hate it!!" she exclaimed and her tears began to shed "Everyone I come to know is in danger of being killed. I hate Muerte, I hate him; he destroyed my life!" she began to cry and the emotions she bottled during this accident, the case itself, and before has surfaced.

Harry was lost by now, he couldn't think of anything to do; he was a disaster when it comes to social interaction and he know it, but the sight of sadness he saw in Hermione tears his heart, so he did the first thing that came to his mind; he hugged her.

Hermione was immersed in her grief so she didn't notice that she was crying against Harry's shoulder, and Harry himself was saddened so much by her grief to notice what had he done and how close she was to him. They stood in the same stance for at least ten minutes with Hermione's cry has reduced to sobs; only then she noticed where she was, and she pulled herself away from him quickly.

"I-I'm sorry, I broke and for a minute I forgot where I was" Hermione said nervously looking at the ground with the tears still frozen in her eyes.

Harry himself was nervous because of the brief physical contact; he never experienced anything more than a friendly or family hug; but a sob comforting hug? That was over his limit. He stood silent for a second to regain his composure then spoke.

"No problem, you needed a shoulder to cry on and mine was available" Harry said then leaned forward smiling and added "but remember to book the place next time before using it" and Hermione chuckled a bit.

Harry sat down and ushered Hermione to do the same; he took a deep breath before speaking "I will tell you a story about a person who experienced the same thing you just have; it is about a boy who experienced a series of horrible tragedies and many hardships nobody ever faced" he looked at her and found that the desired effect has took place, she looked at his interestingly and temporarily forgot about her incident. He changed his posture then continued "The beginning took place when he was one year old; his family was being chased by a lunatic murderer, this murderer was so intent in getting the little boy; so the family went into hiding with only one person knowing their place, this person is one of their best friends" he closed his eyes and fell silent for seconds then resumed "Unfortunately, the family whereabouts was exposed, and the one who told the murderer about it was no other than their so-called friend; the murderer reached the hidden location and brutally killed the father and mother of the boy which left the baby only; a fully-armed professional murderer pointing his weapon at the head of a defenseless infant" Harry looked at Hermione and smiled when he saw the interest on her face.

"What happened to the baby?" Hermione asked urging him to speak.

"Through some miracle; the bullet didn’t hit the baby; instead, it hit the wall behind him and bounced back seriously injuring the murderer himself. He fled the scene leaving a crying baby and two dead bodies"

"Bloody butcher; and what happened to the poor thing?" Hermione asked feeling a bit emotional for the baby.

"He was moved to another house where nobody cared about him; he even lived not knowing that his parents where killed; after he went to school, he met an old man who was the headmaster of his new school; this man was destined to be his mentor and the parent he never had; he told him the very truth about his parents; and the reason why this murderer was and still after him"

"And why is that?" Hermione asked urging him to spill more beans.

"This murderer, who is also a leader of a group of outlaws, was a bit superstitious; he believed in prophecies and such; and once he heard a prophecy about his demise by the hands of a young man. This prophecy enraged him as he considered himself invincible with the power he has and the fear he imposed on his followers before his enemies; he searched for the young man and by some methods he concluded that he was the baby; and you know the rest"

"What was the boy's reaction at the revelation?" she asked again.

"What would you expect from a teenager who has just discovered that the people of his country are depending on him to get rid of a lunatic murderer? Of course he felt like a heavy burden was dropped on his shoulders. Also, he knew that anyone who comes close to him is marked for death by the murderer and his followers; even if this one was just an acquaintance; he learned it by the hard way though"

His emotions now were stirring inside him; he never thought that he will ever need to call back such sad memories, but he need to enlighten Hermione a bit. He took his time to tame the rousing emotions before continuing "First, he lost his godfather and the only family he knew; he stood helpless as he saw him fall to his demise. Then he lost his mentor and father figure who was killed by none other than the traitor who sold the boy's family to the murderer. He felt as if the world crumbled before him, he has no where to go to; he was going mental, and he decided to distance himself from everyone; he remembered something his mentor told him once, 'only with love and friendship you can surpass the mightiest opponent'. He reconsidered his decision, and promised himself that he will protect everyone he cared for"

"And then, what happened to the murderer? I dare to say that he never let the boy rest" Hermione stated, and Harry nodded in agreement.

"And you are right, but the boy never let his guard down from that point forward. He eventually faced the murderer and killed him, and finally he avenged the lives of the his family, godfather, mentor, and many innocents"

Harry finished the story without mentioning that it is actually 'his' life story, he looked at Hermione and saw that she has become gloomier than before; he smiled at her and spoke again "Why the long face Hermione?"

Hermione brushed away some of the escaped tears and answered "You know Harry, if you were trying to lighten my mood then you should know that you have failed miserably"

"Well, I didn't want to lighten you, but to enlighten you; if there is something to learn from this story then it is that you are not alone in this world, and every decision you make will affect the people around you, especially those you care about. Also you must know that you should not give up your friendships and family ties, because this is what your enemies are waiting for; divide and conquer; this is their favorite tactic"

Hermione didn't speak; she drew circles on the back of her hand by her thumb as she always does when she is in deep thought, and something suddenly hit her "What happened to the boy afterwards, and you didn't tell me his name"

Harry answered calmly "The name doesn't really matter, but maybe one day you will meet him; he’s a close friend of mine and was the reason why I because a private detective. As for what happened afterwards" he leaned forward with a sly grin "He lived happily ever after"

"Hey" Hermione pouted "This is not your typical fairy tale to end like that"

"I know, but I wanted to prove a point and I did; maybe one day I will tell you"

"I'll wait for that day, just stick to your word, Potter" Hermione remarked and laughed. At that moment Ron entered the office.

"Hey, it's good to see you laughing after all this Hermione; and Harry, the interrogation room is ready, mate. Let’s go” Ron stated Ushered him.

"Thanks Ron, I will wait for you by the elevator" Harry said patting Ron's shoulder then looked to Hermione “As for you detective, I recommend that you relax here a bit before you join us in the interrogation chamber”

Hermione nodded appreciatively at him, she really wasn’t in the mood to face another one of muerte’s men without strangling him to death, then Ron interrupted her thoughts "By the way, Johnson witnessed my whole conversation with Mike and didn't interfere; do you know what's wrong with the bloke?"

"Let's say I gave him … an offer he can't refuse" Harry said looking at Hermione with a meaningful glance, and then left the room.

Ron stood there with a confused look before asking Hermione "What does he mean?"

"He means what you've just heard, you should have been there Ron; I never thought that dolt would be intimidated by anyone, but the look on his face when Harry grabbed him … Oooh" she chuckled a bit before continuing "I should give that bloke some credit; I've never seen anyone can be so intimidating"

Ron imagined the scene that happened and chuckled "I really wish I was there; and I bit that Johnson said something too bad that set Harry on fire; I told that bloke before that his temper is as bad as a Weasley, maybe worse"

Hermione giggled for a minute before something hit her "Wait a minute, those two other agents were barely touched by Harry and they went flying as if they were pushed back by a sheer force"

Ron was stunned at her remark "WHAT? Hermione are you out of your mind, no body can fly without wings or without someone sending them flying; they must have tripped on something on the ground" he tried to explain while cursing in his mind _'Bloody Hell Harry! I knew one day your hot temper will cause some bloody problems'_

"I don't think so" Hermione relied intently "There was nothing on the ground; but then again, maybe they were too dumb to trip with nothing on the ground"

A fleeting image of a certain pink-haired metamorphagus ran through Ron’s mind and he barely stopped himself from laughing "Anyway …" he said with a hoarse voice "Enough about that and tell me … What did Harry tell you to alleviate your moods quickly?"

"Well … He told me a story about a little boy and a lunatic murderer; where the boy's family where killed by the hand of the murderer and the boy miraculously lived after being shot at point-blank"

"Blimey! I never thought he would tell you this story. In fact, he never spoke of this story to anyone; he must have began to respect you Hermione … You lucky girl"

Hermione blushed for no reason and said defensively "Why all the fuss about him? He is just a private investigator after all"

"I'm not in the position of telling you, but one day you might know" Ron said cryptically.

"Is it me, or you blokes have turned cryptic all of the sudden?" she jeered at Ron who chuckled a bit.

"Nothing like that happened Hermione; but I assume he told you that the boy's story is true; and he is considered a legend among our county’s inhabitants because he faced death seven times and seven times he came our victorious. Which is why he chose to be anonymous" Ron ended in a serious tone that attracted her attention “He wanted to live a normal life away from the limelight”

"I thought it was just another murder case; so that why he didn't tell me his name" she said as if she was speaking with herself, and then turned to Ron "Do you know the name of the boy.

"No" he lied "But to the people there he is known as … The-Boy-Who-Lived"

\------------------------------------

Harry & Ron reached the basement level where the interrogation room is; and walked a bit along the corridor until he reached the morgue and saw middle-aged man standing in front of a door in the opposite direction, they approached and greeted him.

"Good morning Crawford, is the interrogation room ready?"

"Yes, and who might that be?"

"This is Mr. Harry Potter, a private detective who was responsible for apprehending the suspect and the eye witness of the whole incident"

"I’ll be damned” The officer stood up and shook Harry’s hand “Officer Crawford … You are the young man who saved detective Granger, aren't ya'? I want to thank you for this; detective Granger is a hard worker and one of the few honest detectives who remained true to the cause, she is too good and important to be wasted in that way"

"I clearly understand sir" But it was quite the opposite; he never thought she was that popular amid the force staff, and her being the only female detective and a Brit did not add any points; but then again, her hard working nature and her friendliness must've helped a lot.

"Anyway …" Crawford interrupted his thoughts "I heard from detective Weasely here that you want to interrogate the detained suspect yourself; keep in your mind that usually private investigators are allowed to question the suspects detained by LAPD only after a long procedure and with administrative authorization; but due to your contribution in the recent incident I will overlook the paperwork. Also, I want to do this just to piss off that double-crossing asshole Johnson" Crawford stated

"Thank you for your generosity sir; and don't worry about Johnson, he won't be much of a problem" Harry said calmly

"Yeah, I heard about that too" Crawford guffawed "Good one by the way; you are beginning to earn high points yourself amongst us LAPD"

"Thank you again sir for your trust"

"Now, now, don’t get all mushy on my boy; I only said the truth. Now go on, there is another imbecile waiting for you inside"

Harry nodded and stepped toward the door, he stopped just before he entered and turned toward the officer "Sir, I want to say that the surveillance cameras might not work properly for some time" he said with a significant look.

"Well, technical problems could happen any time, couldn't they?" Crawford replied with a knowing grin, Harry grinned back and entered the room.

The first thing he saw the minute he entered was the thug sitting down on a chair with much confidence shown on his face. He looked at the distant end of the room and saw the camera hanging down from the ceiling; He slowly walked towards it and unplugged it, and before he do anything he quietly looked at the one-sided mirror where he thought Ron was standing and cast a silenco charm on the whole room. After that he sat down while gazing the over-confident thug.

"What are you looking at?" the thug said almost spitting on him.

"At you, I never thought that a low-life like you can appear with such confidence while he is captured" Harry answered calmly.

"I should be; don't you know who I work for, pendejo?" the thug sneered with increased confidence.

"You can tell me yourself …" Harry leaned and said with the same calmness

"Muerte …" The thug hissed with a glint in his eyes expecting Harry to back up with terror; but much to his surprise he didn't even wince.

"No thanks, I had enough of him at breakfast; did you too … Marco, isn't it?" Harry replied while scanning the dossier with much coolness.

"Don't you know who muerte is" the thug exclaimed is a mix of surprise and anger.

"I know all what I need to know about him, just another smuggler"

"Smuggler!!" the thug yelled and stood up in anger "A smuggler you say?! I think you are either very brave or very idiota, holmes!"

"I don't care a bit about what you think, you bloody wanker"

"Listen to me gringo; you are all going to die, no body have a chance in standing against Muerte and his new allies; you are comida para perros"

"You are really starting to annoy me with all this rubbish; if you want to keep talking, at least say something useful"

"I will not talk unless my lawyer is present; I know my rights amigo" Marco replied with much cheek.

"You don't get it, do you?" Harry said coldly as the room temperature dropped "I am not your regular happy constable" and the lights began to flash "When I want something, I first ask nicely" and a gust blew out of nowhere "Then I take it by force" and finally, Harry's aura shot up rapidly showering the room with greenish-blue light.

Marco witnessed the whole ordeal in increasing terror, while seeing and feeling every bit of it; and when Harry's aura appeared, he doubled over along with his chair. He retreated quickly until his back hit the wall.

"Dios mio! Y-You are El- El- … El Diablo" the thug stuttered at the horrifying scene before him while Ron indifferently looked at them from behind the glass; it was not a usual event to see a muggle witnessing magic for the first time, let alone the terrifying illusions Harry casted. However, for an auror, it was not an honorable sight.

Harry looked at the timid thug with killing glares before speaking "Will you cooperate or should I take what I want with force?"

"P-Please don't kill me; I will tell you anything you want" the thug pleaded.

"Tell me the count and names of Muerte's new allies"

"I-I don't know …" Harry's aura started to ripple, and the thug quivered madly "But I know the name of their leader; Flint … Yes, Marcus Flint; and they call themselves 'Los Mangeur de Muerte', the death eaters"

"I know all this" Harry yelled "Tell me something I don’t know; like their names and numbers" and he remembered something "And the college break-in yesterday"

"I told you señor, I don't know their count; but I know that they stole a huge machine from the college yesterday because I brought them a truck at a pre-chosen meeting point, the machine was mysteriously floating in the middle air … I swear it was magia. There were four of them last night; and I heard one of them call the other Nott" a stroke of luck, or destiny, brought this very thug to his clutch. However, one name he uttered sparked Harry’s interest.

"Nott" Harry said and went into deep thought _'That makes sense'_ he told himself _'Only that cold-blooded lunatic can kill those officers with such brutality'_ he then turned his attention back to the groveling thug "Where is their hideout?"

"I-I don't know" the thug cowered as Harry's aura shot to the roof again "Please, you have to believe me, I am not one of Muerte's elite soldiers; only them are allowed to be in the hideout, the others are gathering in other places"

"Where" Harry asked coldly, but received no answer. He increased the intensity of his aura causing the thug to shriek with horror.

"Please, I can't say; if they know they might kill me"

"They **_might_** kill you if you spoke; but I **_will_** if you didn't, make your choice" Harry eyed him and waited for an answer.

"Oooh Dios mio! Salvar a mi" Marco said in a whimper "Colleja Motels"

"Motels!" Harry remarked while eyeing him skeptically "Why do I have the feeling that you are lying to me?" and the thug whimpered even more.

"Por favor … I only said the truth; don't kill me" the thug begged.

"Let's see then" Harry replied while levitating the over-shrieking thug and placing him on his already-straightened chair. He sat opposite to him and locked his eyes on his.

"What are you going to do" Marco asked while shivering.

"I'm going to validate your so-called confession … _Legilimens_ " and he began his probing his defenseless mind.

At first he found himself at a desolated place, and it was nighttime but he can see the twilight, so he assumed that it was near dawn. He was standing beside Marco who was leaning at a parked truck. A few minutes later, four hooded silhouettes appeared in the distance, and a huge shadow was following them. He recognized them as they drew nearer; they were death eaters. He saw Nott in the lead, and three other young death eaters he doesn't know; they were levitating a rather gigantic contraption he presumed it was the stolen EMPA.

"Dios mio! It is floating; this is magia" Harry heard the bewildered Marco exclaim.

"Cut the small talk and open the bloody door" Nott hissed at him and then turned to the death eater who is levitating the machine "Manson, bring forth the machine"

They loaded the machine unto the car and secured back door. Then Nott turned toward the frightened Marco and spoke with malice "Now go to the rendezvous point and be sure not to get caught; and don't think about dawdling around, we are watching you"

After the truck moved Harry tried to follow it but the image got distorted and then went blank, and he knew it was the effect of the memory charm although. Flint was very careful; he didn't trust anyone except himself and a few wizards of the inner circle.

He found a few other interesting memories including the Hermione assassination attempt. Also, he found some memories of ordinary conversations with civilians and other thugs, but he didn't understand anything for they were in Spanish. He felt frustrated for not learning such vital language. He tried to look for the motel he was told about but didn't find it 'Why am I not surprised?' he thought to himself, and drew himself out of Marco's mind rather aggressively.

"Wha-What've just happened?" Marco asked but Harry didn't care for answering, he swiftly drew his wand causing the thug to wince "What are you doing?"

"This is going be quite painful; I am not telling you for your sake, but for the sake of my ears … _Memoria Extractum_ " and a purple ray of light flowed out from the tip of the wand, and at the instant it touched Marco's forehead his body convulsed violently and he screamed as he never did before and the purple ray retracted pulling with it a few azure semi transparent strands.

As the last strand was pulled out, Marco fell down unconscious; Harry stared at him with stone face while his aura faded "Even though you are riffraff you are still human, you shouldn't have experienced that painful charm, but you left me no choice" he said to the unconscious thug before innervating him and hitting him with a strong memory charm "You will remember me intimidating you, but you will forget that I used magic and anything related to it including the aura".

Marco blinked for a few seconds after the spell hit him, then he noticed Harry's presence and cowered. Harry didn't speak; he picked up the dossier and left the room not forgetting to wandlessly deactivate the pre-placed charms and plugging back the camera; when he got out he saw Crawford jogging toward him.

"That was the worst power fluctuation I've even witnessed" Crawford growled.

"What happened?" Harry asked cautiously.

"didn’t you notice? The lights of the whole floor were wavering; in all my years in here I've never seen such malfunction; even some of light bulbs blown up"

"I thought only the lights in the interrogation room were malfunctioning" Harry lied and thought to himself _'I've gone a bit far this time'_

"Anyway, I see that you finished your interrogation; has it been good?"

"Somewhat" Harry replied pouting "But I'm content with the little information I got"

"Don't be sad" Crawford patted him "It is always hard in the beginning, but something will come up and open new doors"

"Hopefully" Harry said feeling a bit exhausted "If you excuse me, I need to review my findings with your detectives before heading home"

"I understand; if you need anything else, I'm happy to help; the whole department owes you for saving our top detective. And by the way, due to the presence of the FBI, the third floor is open so you can reach it without a card"

"Thank you sir" Harry said then walked away from him toward the lift; he felt completely drained as he never thought he would be _'It must be the aura'_ he thought to himself _'I should work on my endurance or my aura will be more of a burden than a bless'_. Ron, on the other hand, had a different opinion.

“You’ve went overboard this time, mate” The red-headed auror proclaimed “I remember that no matter how angry you were, you did not punish the small fry for the sins of their leaders”

Harry did not heed his friend’s warnings and started to scribble a concise note about the outcome of the interrogation on a piece of paper he conjured, and then he magically copied the culprit's profile.

When they reached the third floor they noticed that it was swarming with FBI agents, and a number of them noticed his presence and eyed him with malevolence but he paid no attention to them; he walked toward the detectives offices, knocked the door and entered.

"Hello … Sorry we’re late" Ron greeted Hermione who was leafing through some files. She turned to them and asked in interest "Have you extracted anything useful out of that git?"

_'More than what I bargained for'_ Harry thought to himself, but he can't tell her anything so he let Ron do the talking "Only a few routine confessions"

"That's too bad" Hermione said with disappointment. Harry handed her the dossier and Ron stated “I think you better, mate. You have far better history with this case than me” Harry nodded, sat down and began talking.

"It appears that the death eaters along with the Columbians are concocting something unpleasant; I read this morning an article about a stolen device called EMPA, which is short for 'Electromagnetic Pulse Amplifier', this device can knock out the power at a certain radius. The point is, this bloke …" pointed at Marco's picture in the profile "Has helped in the robbery"

There was a heavy silence in the room before Hermione break it "That is an unusual stroke of luck” Hermione said “But since we started to round up Muerte’s thug, it was natural for him to use the only few he has left for his dirty work” she then looked Ron and asked “Did he say where they took it?" Harry looked at Ron before the latter answered "He said he can't remember"

"Hogwash" Hermione said in an almost yelling manner "He is definitely lying, this is what are they good at … thugs"

They all sat in silence contemplating on their newfound information, Hermione with what she was told and the aurors with the full version of it. The silence felt heavy for Harry who knew that he needs to return to the IAST headquarters and connect the dots with his team.

“I think I must take my leave” She looked at him in surprise "So soon?"

“I need to verify whatever information we’ve got today” He stated, then looked at Hermione "Would I ask for a favor? Would you search in the police files here and in the other states for any mysterious and unsolved cases?"

"They are hundreds Harry, but why?" Hermione said in confusion.

"What I mean is cases of murders with unknown weapon, or robberies occurred in heavily-guarded places; just like our case here"

"I understand now Harry; I will tell Pierce to look for it when he returns; he is better than me at this kind of work"

He nodded at her "Okay, in the mean time I will carry on with my search. I might not come back in few days"

"Then how can I contact you if anything turned up" Hermione asked

"Don’t worry … I will" He smiled at her although he could see that she was not amused.

"Hey" she said in annoyance "You can’t just barge in, collect whatever information you need and then leave. We are not a public library, you know” I thought we said we will work as a team"

"We will" he replied defensively "But I will keep my tracks covered for a while until I can confirm it is safe to tell; and you should be on constant vigilance after what happened"

"Don't worry about that; and you better not play with me Potter" she said pointing a warning finger at him.

"I'm not, trust me on that"

\------------------------------------------

"Señor Martinez, I thought we had a deal …" Flint expressed with a hint of anger on his face.

Muerte interrupted him "I should be that one who is saying that holmes; you are utilizing my money, men and influence, while I got nothing out of this maldito deal; the bitch is still alive …"

"And she will be" Flint interrupted this time "If we acted rashly and without a plan"

"So, you say you have a plan" Muerte eyed him suspiciously.

"Of course" Flint said with confidence "But as good plans go, this one will take a month to take effect"

"A MONTH" Muerte exclaimed in fury "DO YOU KNOW WHAT CAN HAPPEN IN A MONTH?"

Flint eyed the enraged drug lord with provocative coolness and waited him to calm down before speaking "Señor Martinez, I should remind you that I am not one of your boys to yell at me like that; I consider actions less than that to be offending and I punish the one who commits it immediately and painfully; but as you are a valuable alley I will forgive you this once … and only this once"

Muerte was startled with the coldness Flint spoke with but didn't comment; and Flint continued "Our main obstacle in achieving your desire señor Martinez is Harry Potter. As you have seen by yourself, he is a formidable opponent, even the former dark lord tried to persuade him to join his side, but his silly ideals and disgusting love for the mudbloods prevented him from that; the main problem is that he noticed that detective granger is your main target; and thus he bestowed his protection on her. My main goal is to end this protection by shattering their alliance; and for this I need a month of preparation for this"

Muerte growled for a minute before speaking "OK, I will accept that for now. But if I don't get what I asked for after that then our deal is no more; comprendé?"

"Fair enough" Flint nodded ending the initial argument with mutual endorsement.

\---------------------------------

"Harry Potter, sir" Dick and Vlad shot up in a firm military salute as Harry entered the HQ.

"At ease, people. Honestly, you don't need to salute me every time I enter" Harry said firmly though couldn't help but to smile.

"We can't help it sir" Dick replied "We are so proud to work under the administration of a legend; and every feat you achieve is proving that you are more that a legend, sir"

"I have to say that we are working undercover; so if you salute me every time you see me this could turn pretty nasty and we might get exposed"

"We understand sir; we will only salute you if no one sees us"

"I give up" Harry said chuckling a bit, then he turned serious "Now for our business" and both aurors paid their full attention to them.

"Detective Granger was caught in a drive-by shooting. Luckily, she survived; and one of the culprits was caught; I interrogated the git myself but I only got a few useful confessions; now what I want from you Vladimir is to go to the ministry and bring a secure pensive and a batch of freshly prepared Veritaserum potion, and tell them I want it to be placed in unbreakable bottles"

"Right away, sir" Vlad saluted him firmly and went to fetch the items.

"As for you Dick, How is the progress of the case"

"Not quite good sir; Professor Malfoy sends his regards and says that the research of the curse used on the victims will take some time; but he notified me to tell you that the spell profile indicates that it is an ancient curse"

"Ancient …" Harry muttered and an idea revolved in his mind "This is a fair finding; rule number one in our work, Dick, is never neglect any finding even the smallest one, because with a small fish you can catch a bigger one"

"I'll keep that in mind sir" Dick retorted.

"By the way, Dick; do you speak Spanish?"

"Of course sir; it is mandatory in these parts because the big portion of the population here is the Latin-Americans, but way sir?"

"Because I have a few memories in Spanish that I want you to translate for me"

"Is that why you ordered a pensieve sir?"

"That's right; now if you don't mind, I need to sleep for a couple of hour or I would fall from exhaustion. Inform me when Vladimir returns"

"Affirmative sir"

\----------------------------------

"Ginny, hey there girlfriend"

"What do you want Alicia? I have work to do" Ginny said with impatience as her friend paced beside her.

"Where were you this morning? I called your home but you didn't pick up"

"My whereabouts are my business Alicia; and I think you are not my mother" Ginny retorted coldly

"Ouch, stab me in heart. Is this a way to speak with a friend?" Alicia replied rather joyfully.

"Honestly; if anyone see you acting like that he would thought we are a childhood friend, not a two-day acquaintance"

"That's me girlfriend; by the way, how is the handsome detective doing?" she asked evilly, and Ginny blurted "He is fine actually, and healing prop … Hey"

Alicia began to laugh madly "I know it, I knew that you were seeing him; so how was the date"

"Woman, I only checked him up nothing to fancy; pure professional work" Ginny said only to realize her mistake too late

"You checked him up? That's cool" Alicia laughed harder.

"ALICIA, I have a work to do"

"OK, OK; sheesh; you are no fun at all; do you know that?" the joyful M.D. said before going to her work

\----------------------------------

"This is odd" Hermione said to Ron who looked at her curiously "What's odd?"

She looked at him intently "Are you blind Ron? Haven't you seen that bloke shivering during the interrogation; it is the first time I've ever seen one of Muerte's thugs to be so miserable. They always appear as confident as a peacock. What have Potter done to that poor bloke?"

Ron shrugged before replying "Knowing Harry, he might have intimidated him a little bit"

"A little bit?" Hermione exclaimed "If you ask me I'd say it was a lot of bits"

"Maybe he got carried away with the interrogation"

"You are really weird Ron, why are you trying to justify Potter's actions; one would say you are acting like a best mate or a twin brother more that an ordinary old friend"

Ron felt a bit awkward; she didn't know that she hit the heart of the truth, but he thanked God when she changed the subject.

"And I have to tell you; I never thought that Potter was capable of intimidating people; even when he threatened Johnson I didn't believe my eyes. When you brought him here I thought he was some kind of a reporter; but private investigator? That was a bit of a shock"

"Harry would amaze you sometimes" Ron blurted earning him another curious look from Hermione.

"I told you; you are acting like a best mate"

He felt awkward again and tried to change the course of the conversation "And why you were shocked?"

"Well, I always thought that the private investigators where ruthless and disorderly, and they tend to bend the law at the first chance; but Harry is so different. gentle and caring, and his eyes show sheer calmness, and …" she was talking absentmindedly but stopped suddenly when she saw the look on Ron's face and realizing what she was saying; her cheeks turned crimson-red at the realization.

"And now you’re speaking like an infatuated schoolgirl" Ron said and then roared with laughter as more red shade appeared on her cheeks.

"I'm not Ron. Honestly, why do you always turn any civil conversation into an awkward one?"

"It is what I'm good at 'mione" and he laughed even more.

\--------------------------------------

Harry slept continuously for two hours in the annexed bedroom in HQ before hearing a commotion in the main whole; he sat up feeling completely refreshed "This was a much needed sleep"

He left the bedroom and saw Dick and Vlad bringing in boxes filled with bottles.

"Is that it?" Harry inquired.

"Yes sir, a whole batch of Veritaserum, freshly prepared and in unbreakable bottles sir. They are even are able to prepare more sir" Vlad answered as he brought in the last box.

"Good" Harry retorted as he opened a bottle and smelled the potion; he then closed it and threw it against the wall to test the unbreakable charm integrity "Really good"

"What should we do with it sir?" Dick asked in curiosity.

"To know that bring me the list of all the aurors under my command" Harry ordered the hacker auror, who complied immediately; he checked the list "Ninety-five aurors; Vlad, how many bottles have you brought?"

"Five hundred bottles, sir" Vlad answered with confusion.

"Which make it five per auror" Harry said with confidence that caused more confusion; Dick stepped forward and asked "May I ask what are you thinking sir?"

Harry looked at them and smiled "When I interrogated the culprit today I used some … exhausting methods of interrogation, so I felt the aurors who are working undercover should always carry Veritaserum just in case they need it; we got Hundred aurors including me, Ron, and the three of you, means five bottles per person to use; I doubt anyone will need more than more though; but better safe than sorry"

"Good thinking, sir" Dick said feeling more impressed with his ideal's way of thinking.

"Anyway; Vlad, I want you to go and round up all the aurors in this list except Ron, and bring them here for our first meeting; I will prepare the meeting room so it can fit in this enormous number of people"

"Right away sir" and he went to carry out the order, but Harry stopped him "Before you go, where is the secure pensive?"

"There it is sir" he pointed at the object in the corner.

"Very well, carry on then" Harry retorted as he walked toward the pensive, he ushered Dick to follow him. When he reached the object he drew his wand and pointed it at it muttering _'Memoria Recolo'_

Dick's eyes widened as semi-transparent threads shot out of Harry's wand and into the pensive.

"Now, these are the memories I want you to translate, so go on"

Dick hesitated for a moment before asking "What was that spell sir?"

"It is a top-secret spell that only the high ranking aurors know; in other words, it is a death-tracker-only spell; now go on and do your chores"

Dick felt disappointed and unsatisfied with the answer but didn't dare to argue with his superior. He entered the pensive and began to watch the memories, after ten minutes he pulled out and saw Harry waiting for his report.

"So, what is it?" Harry asked in a commanding manner.

"Most of them were ordinary conversations; but there was one conversation before the assassination attempt; one of the thugs said that they would be changing their hideout after they return from their mission"

"Mission they said" Harry hissed darkly "Those lowlifes; but I doubt that git would know where it is"

"You are right sir; they were going to gather at their old hideout before exposing the new one"

"Too foxy for them to think that way; I bet it was Flint's idea to change the hideout. Anyway, we must put a search pattern for possible hideouts, but that can wait until the whole auror battalion is assembled. In the mean time, I will go to the ministry library and research the unknown curse myself; I will keep the invisible headphone open, contact me when they arrive"

"Roger sir" Dick saluted his superior and went back to his original position in front of the computer. Harry exited the HQ and apparated to the Ministry if Magic entrance. He entered the telephone booth and went down until he reached the library level. He walked through the doors and toward the librarian counter, who was busy with paperwork.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic library; here you will find a variety of books from all … Merlin's Beard, it's Harry Potter"

Harry fed up with his world wide fame; but he couldn't do anything with it "Pleasure to meat you; may I have access to the restricted section?"

"I'm sorry, but only the minister is allowed to enter that section, and …" he flashed his golden auror badge "High ranking aurors are also allowed, which means that you have access; let me show you the way"

She led him to an isolated corridor at the distant section the library; they reached a vast door at the end of the corridor; she turned to him "Your badge please" he handed her his badge and she used it on a crevice at the right side of the door, and it opened slowly, then she handed the badge back to him "You can enter now Mr. Potter, and if you need to access this section anytime in the future just follow the same procedure I just did, and no need to look for me, too"

"I understand; thank you for your help" Harry said and stepped inside the restricted section.

The place was dim and gloomy; the shelves were full of books with dark nature; he noticed that some of the books were actually monsters like an old book he knew. Lucky for him, they were all slumbering. He quietly walked toward the 'Ancient Curses' section as the sign indicated and began to browse the shelves.

Hours have passed, and Harry was immersed in his research; he skimmed through dozens of books and scanned the ones which interested him; 'Curses of Condemnation', 'The Unforgivables: A Thorough Look', 'Avada Kedavra: The Ultimate Curse', 'The Veil: Mysteries Uncovered', 'History of Curses', 'The Dementor Curse: Travel To A World of Madness', and much more. He felt so exhausted that he couldn't open his eyes properly; he took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes and decided to call it a day and went back to the HQ for the last task he had, the meeting.

After he exited the ministry he apparated to the alley near the HQ, as he opened the door and heard the buzz coming from inside the meeting room, he walked toward the door and stepped in.

"Officer on deck" Dick exclaimed and the whole battalion of aurors stood up.

"At ease" Harry said calmly yet in a commanding voice, and then stepped in and assumed the lead seat "As you've learned early this week, I will be your commander in this operation", the aurors began to hum. Many of them were young, and have heard of Harry's story; they considered him a legend and an ideal auror, they followed up his last battle with the former dark lord with much excitement and disbelief because of the sheer power he and his former nemesis displayed; and when their director told them that he will come to the states and assume the command of this UK/USA operation most of them didn't believe it, but now he is here in front of them; although some of them felt disappointed to see a young man instead of a middle aged experienced auror; but considering his history, he is far more experienced that all of them united.

"I want to say that I've chosen you out of a list of seven hundred top aurors; which means you are the best auror out of seven. Now, don't let that get into your heads and remember … Our opponents are not to be meddled with recklessly, they are the death eaters" and the humming began again.

A young female auror stood up "But sir, weren't they caught and defeated after You-Know-Who's demise?"

"Will that is not right Vanessa, isn't it" and the auror nodded "They are now under a new leadership which is far more problematic than Voldemort" and they whole room gasped and shuddered.

"Lesson number one in my team, fearing the name only increases the fear of the person himself; and honestly, only the fool fears a dead man. Anyway, you will be sorted into twenty different teams; each team will be tasked with a certain mission different than the other teams and each team will be provided with a hideout. You will report any progress directly to auror Howards here in the main HQ" and pointed at Dick "Aurors Pavlov and Blanc will monitor your progress during the missions; and any problem you encounter you either report to me or auror Weasley when he is present in the HQ. Also, each auror should carry at least a bottle of Veritaserum" he said as he summoned the boxes from the corner of the room.

"You will be given five bottles each, Use them in interrogation when no muggle is witnessing. Do not overuse the potion, for the next batch might not be ready any time soon; any questions …"

"Yes; why are we being dictated by a bunch of green kids who are not as experienced as us?" a middle aged auror bellowed with total disrespect to the rank difference, but Harry didn't mind.

"Jones; isn't it? Well, I can see your points. But Aurors Howards, Pavlov, and Blanc have proved to be more efficient than you in terms of leadership, power, and creativity"

"I'm not just talking about them. I'm talking about you and that Weasley boy; I still don't believe that anyone can surpass the dark lord, or even survive a killing curse. You've only got lucky once"

"Hey, you have no right to question your superior's eligibility" Dick bellowed back at the raging auror; but Harry ushered him to calm down.

"Let him speak Dick; this is as the Yanks say it 'a free country'; so you think that I killed Voldemort by sheer luck" the whole room shuddered again including Jones "You see; this is our main difference. I do not fear a mere name, and a made-up one that is; but nevertheless, I'll give you the chance for promotion, we will duel right here" and the whole room buzzed with commotion.

"But sir, you look exhausted; are you sure you want to do this?" Vlad stated with worry.

"Don't worry Vlad; sometimes you have to fight while you are fatigued" Harry said joyfully as he conjured off the table and the chairs, and all the aurors stood near the walls giving the duelists their needed space; many of the aurors were anxious to see the legendary Harry Potter in action; but a few of them were sharing that same view Jones has, but were too frightened to bring it up; and now they can test their theory with nothing to lose.

"In this duel everything goes, even the unforgivables including the killing curse; keep in mind that you cannot apparate here due to the anti-apparition ward, but still you can dodge any curses, or have you forgotten how?" Harry said scornfully.

"Why you …" Jones bit his lips in anger as he assumed the stance of attack.

"If you brought me down, then I will highly recommend you in the next auror promotion; and if you killed me, you can assume the command of the whole battalion, and everybody here will be a witness" Jones eyes gleamed as Harry spoke of the rewards "However, if you failed to do so or I defeated you, I will cast you out of the battalion", Jones thought for a second and calculated the whole ordeal; then he thought to himself _'I will not let that boy defeat me'_

"Begin" Harry yelled and waited for Jones to shoot first. Jones pulled out his wand and threw his first curse and the severing charm flew across the room, but it was stopped by Harry's shield.

"Being a bit ambitious, are we?" Harry sneered. Which caused the infuriated auror to blurt " _Suctsempra_ "

"Awww, that was good; but not good enough"

Jones kept throwing a curse after another; but Harry didn't even budge and shield didn't weaken. Jones cried in frustration before bellowing " _Crucio_ " and Harry dodged it in the last moment.

"Now you are being serious; I was waiting for that moment" Harry said in an apparent relief

"The moment of my triumph?" The auror stated and Harry shook his head "No, the moment you lose your temper; your accuracy has got pretty low right now"

"Pretty low! You'll see … _IMPERIO_ " the curse hit Harry squarely in the chest; the whole hall gasped in terror and Jones stood in triumph "Bow to me; admit your defeat"

Harry simply stood with his hands behind his back and spoke "I admit …" Jones grinned with triumph "… that you are a bit old for this child play" Jones and the aurors too were shocked to see someone who can fight the influence of the Imperious curse rather easily.

"H-How …"

"When you have a strong mind, which I doubt you have, you can fight this so-called curse easily. Now, show me how serious you are"

" _Avada Kedavra_ " and the sickening green lightening ray flew toward Harry who merely brushed his hand against it, and it reflected toward the ceiling.

"Enough play" Harry said firmly "Let us finish this … _Stupefy_ " the stunner flew across the room hitting Jones on the chest and he flew backwards for three meters; the entire hall went speechless and they looked in awe at the Boy-Who-Lived, the legend, their commander.

" _Enervate_ " Harry revived Jones, who was feeling ashamed and frightened at the same time.

Harry looked at the defeated auror firmly "You've been weighed, you've been measured, and you've been found wanting. Now, return to the ministry at once"

Jones hastily stepped out of the hall, which was still in deep silence. Then Harry turned to them and spoke with a voice of authority "Everyone, return to your homes and collect your belongings; tomorrow you will be sorted into teams and your hideouts will be your new houses. Also, I will personally train you to be more agile and powerful, but it will be scheduled for … Dismiss"


	8. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes take a moment of respite and meet up with old friends. Its a reunion of families, of old allies, and lost loved ones ...

“Finally!!” Pierce exclaimed in excitement “I was gonna kill myself if boredom didn't get to me first”

“Hey” his wife Lydia pouted “Does that mean I was boring for the whole five days?”

“I didn't say that” Pierce retorted defensively “I only said I wanted to see some action” Lydia smiled mischievously before replying “Well, you could've asked me”

“Ask you what?” Pierce said in confusion, but he then realized what she meant and smiled back “You evil nymph; come here” he stood up and walked toward his wife, who jumped back “Catch me first you old man”

“Old man! I'll show you what this old man do; I know that you are ticklish lady” he said as he wiggled his fingers

“You wouldn't dare” she tried to run away from him, but he jumped at her and began to tickle her mercilessly “S-Stop; p-please stop”

“Not until you tack back what you said”

“Okay, okayyyyyyyy; you are not an old man” she said while laughing

“And” he demanded while still tickling her.

“And, and you are the most handsome man I ever saw”

“You are right on that” Pierce stopped tickling her and began to groom his hair in a playboy manner, which earned him a giggle from Lydia “You are so full of yourself, do you know that?”

“I know” Pierce replied with a laugh “And you are my beautiful wife” and he kissed her hand.

“Oh Pierce” she hugged him and kissed him lightly on the lips “I love you”

“I love you too” he said hugging her back “Why don't we go and see our little angel?”

“I'm right behind you” they both walked toward their daughter's room; and when they stepped in they saw Sherry fully awake.

“Good morning, love” Lydia picked up her jumping daughter and cuddled her. Then she handed her to Pierce.

“Hey there little pixie” he snuggled her and began to nuzzle her petit neck.

“Pierce, doesn't she look a little pale?” Lydia said with worry; and Pierce put his hand on Sherry's forehead “She is a little warm too”

“I'll take her to the hospital” Lydia said, but Pierce looked at his her and said firmly “No, We’ll go together”

“But … Your work-” she didn't complete her sentence as he interrupted her “Family first”

\---------------------------------

“Ron … RON YOU LAZY ARSE WAKE UP!!” Ginny bellowed at the fast sleeping redhead.

“Ginny, let me sleep” Ron said between snorts and put a pillow on his head.

“Not when Hermione is waiting for you … Get up!!” she yelled at him but was answered with a loud snort “That does it …” she exited the bedroom and walked across the hall toward the kitchen. Hermione saw her cursing under her breath.

“Ginny, it's alright … I will go ahead of him; let him get up when he wants to”

“Then we will have to wait for a hundred years” Ginny retorted angrily, and stepped inside the kitchen. Hermione heard the noise of metal pots colliding before Ginny comes out of the kitchen with a bucket full of water and ice; and barely held an escaped laughter as she could foresee what will happen.

“AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!!” Ron yell came out of the bedroom as she heard the sound of water being poured out of the bucket. And she laughed as she never did before.

“If you don't get up I'll do it again!” Ginny bellowed before exiting the room. She threw the bucket back inside the kitchen “Sorry Hermione, but my brother is a real pain in the arse every morning”

“Don't worry about that, I have a cousin who used to have the same problem; but I never had a thought of using icy water, you have such a creative mind Ginny”

“Why thank you, Hermione” Ginny said with a chuckle “Being the only girl while growing up with six brothers is such a hard feat to achieve; but it has its own advantages”

At the moment she finished, Ron stepped out of his room fully dressed; but his hair was still damp from the 'morning shower' he have just had.

“Good Morning Ron; I never knew you were a heavy sleeper” Hermione said between giggles, and she was answered with a low grumble from Ron.

“Good thing you’re awake now Ron; or I would have tried plan B” Ginny said evilly; and Ron asked her rather aggressively “And what the bloody would it be?”

“I Won't tell; but maybe I'll use it next time you slumber … Ciao” she replied before exiting the apartment.

“I got a demon for a sister” Ron remarked in gloominess; and Hermione tittered “Don't be so unfair Ron, she is a nice person … with a truly remarkable personality”

“The Devil's personality; to be precise …” he replied darkly “Anyway; how was yesterday's case?”

“Dismal …” Hermione said irritably “The bloke confessed that he killed his wife while under influence”

“And they say life can't get any happier …” he retorted sarcastically.

“And that is not all; we discovered that he killed her for insurance money”

“What a git …” Ron said in disgust “But why are you so angry? This is not the first time you encounter something like that, is it?” Hermione sighed irritably and replied “No, I'm not annoyed for that; it's about my parents, they are coming to the states in the next three weeks”

“Well, I consider that a good news usually” Ron said coolly.

“Not when you are marked for death” she replied quickly “And they will give me a constant headache with their lectures”

Ron barked with laughter at her remark “I don't think they are as bad as my mother; she smacked my head once for breaking her favorite dish … with a ladle” Hermione giggled but didn't comment; they stepped outside and went to work in her car.

“I still don't get it” she blurted suddenly “Why don't you have a car until now?”

“I told you Hermione, I don't like driving cars” Ron said as the memory of the second year came to his mind.

“A man without a car is an incomplete man; that's what my father think, at least” she said casually, but Ron's face reddened and felt as if his manly pride has been injured as he retorted “point taken … Then you do think that I and Harry are incomplete men”

“NO!! of course not” she replied defensively “Speaking of Harry, has he contacted you yet?”

“No …” he blurted a blatant lie as usual “And you?”

“Not a word …” she sight with frustration “I'm beginning to believe that he has used us as a source of information; I should've known better than to trust a private investigator”

“Whoa!! Hermione wait a minute; Harry and I are friends and acquaintances for a long time. At least I know that he wouldn't exploit people for his benefit; he is probably busy with something”

“At least he should've given us a way to contact him”

“Don't worry, he will” Ron said as they were nearing the precinct and he remembered something “By the way, how is Pierce doing?”

“I forgot to tell you; he called me this morning and said he will be late because his daughter got a fever”

“Be late?! Isn't he on a sick leave?” Ron asked in surprise.

“Yes, but he said that his wounds has healed fully, as if it was touched by magic”

“WHAT?” he exclaimed with anger “That stupid witch …”

“Who?” Hermione asked in confusion, and he realized that he was cursing loudly “A person that I should speak face-to-face with”

She didn't push to the matter as she parked her car and they entered the precinct.

\-------------------------------

“Somebody help” Pierce shouted as he burst into the ER; Alicia turned around and saw Pierce running toward her with a toddler in his arms.

“What is it sir?”

“My baby; she has a fever”

“She is hot” Alicia said as she felt the child's forehead “Bring a gurney” she bellowed at two nearby nurses who were ran as fast as they could.

“What's happening to my baby?” Lydia said with tears beginning to flow out of her eyes.

“We don’t know yet, Ma’am” Alicia said as she pushed the gurney “Exam 2, now”

As soon as they disappeared, Ginny stepped into the ER. She walked casually toward the nurse station.

“Good morning Martha, how is the action this morning”

“Good morning to you Dr. Weasley. Just sick people, as usual” replied the smart-mouth clerk which earned her a scolding look from the red-headed doctor “the’s cheeky, you know”

“That’s how I make it through the night” Martha replied “Dr. Adams is in exam 2”

“I'll go and see if I can be of any help” Ginny said as she walked toward the locker room, stashed her belongings and rushed towards the said room.

“Alicia, need any help?” Ginny asked her colleague; but stopped dead when she saw a couple she knew.

“Ginny”

“Dr. Weasley”

“Mr. and Mrs. McLaden; what happened” Ginny greeted the couple.

Pierce exclaimed in agony “It is Sherry; she was perfectly right this morning with only a slight fever, but on the way here she suddenly flared up and couldn’t breathe”

“I need you here Gin; her temp is 104 and rising” Alicia yelled.

“I'll see what I can do” Ginny patted the crying Lydia and stepped into action.

\------------------------------

“Bloody Hell! He is returning to his git personality again” Ron exclaimed as he punched his desk.

“Johnson was always a git; but maybe he has gone too far this time” Hermione said calmly but couldn't suppress her anger.

“But pulling the rug from under the whole department and placing his agents in charge? He has gone beyond far”

“I think he is trying to make us submit to his authority” Hermione explained and Ron retorted “What I think is that he needs another dose of Harry”

“Someone called for me?” both of them jumped as Harry suddenly appeared behind them.

“HARRY!!” both Ron  and Hermione yelled excitedly while the latter resisting the temptation to smack his head.

“When did you arrive mate; we didn't hear the door open” Ron asked him while trying to regain his composure.

“A while ago; but you were so immersed in your conversation to hear anything. So, how is your work?”

“First you tell me Potter; what were you doing and why were you absent for a whole five days?” pointed a reprimanding finger at him in which he replied coolly “Never ask a private detective about his work. It is, after all, private” he said calmly with a hint of scolding.

“And we are like a public library for you, aren’t we?” Hermione retorted with the same rebuking manner.

“Ouch, good one Granger” Harry said backing off “Okay, you win; I was searching for any clue that can lead us to Muerte's hideout or his thugs”

“No one ever has ever found it Harry; last time we caught him he was preparing to leave for Columbia” Hermione said.

“Then you should think of finding it right now” Harry replied firmly.

“It is no use Harry; the FBI has taken full charge, cases and all” she said sadly

“Well, I think I should have another friendly conversation with a certain agent” Harry rubbed his mischievously and the trio laughed. At that moment Pierce stepped in the office.

“Howdy partners; long time no see” Pierce greeted them with sheer joy.

“Pierce! good to have you back, mate” Ron smiled at him.

“Mutual feelings, Wes” then he notices Harry “We haven't met before; a new detective?”

“Oh, I'm Harry Potter, a private detective. A pleasure to meet you” Harry extended his hand, which was accepted by Pierce.

“Another Brit! Hell, there is a club forming in here. And you said you are a PI; I never knew that LAPD detectives and PIs think on the same page let alone working together; or was it a new policy they approved while I was out”

Hermione stepped in the conversation and explained “Actually, the whole department is under the authority of the FBI; Johnson's to be precise”

“Johnson!! That rat dares to return here after what he has done?!” Pierce said angrily

“That's why we are working together with Harry; he is hunting down a cult who call themselves the 'Death Eaters', they seem to be working with Muerte these days; they were those suspects who were using those strange beam weapons the night you got hurt”

“It was really scary; but if that pisses Johnson off, then count me in” Pierce said in joy, and Harry smiled at his luck; his muggle aid is growing larger and he should thank God for it, yet he was still feeling worried.

“How is Sherry by the way?” Hermione asked in a worry.

“She is fine for now; still sick but her condition is stable and needs constant observations … It’s all thanks to your sister, Wes” Pierce patted his shoulder.

“Who? Ginny?” Ron inquired inquisitively in which Pierce retorted in his usual sarcastic manner “Unless you have a long lost sister, it is her whom I talk about. My whole family now owes her a life debt”

“That's Ginny; a lifesaver; and my personal demon” Ron said and only Hermione laughed as she has understood him.

“What's funny?” Harry and Pierce asked; Hermione told them what happened early that morning and how Ron got himself drenched in icy water by his raging sister, and a gale of laughter swept over them save Ron. It would have been a good laugh if Johnson didn't chose this moment to enter the office.

“What a happy group? Remind me of old days” he mocked at them.

“Long time no see … Johnson” Pierce spitted “You seem to be well-fed; I didn't knew they have pigsties in the FBI”

The trio barely suppressed their laugh when they saw Johnson's facial reaction at the remark “Very funny McLaden; you didn't change at all, the same old clown Pierce”

“At least it is better than a pig. Oh, my mistake, you are not a pig; you are a genuine rat”

“I'm warning you, McLaden …” Johnson threatened dangerously.

“What? Not to test your patience? Don't worry, I stopped beta testing and shifted toward Post-Marketing surveillance. But how about we leave our feud behind, let me invite you to breakfast” he threw his arm around the annoyed agent. Ron and Harry felt strange at the sudden change in Pierce; but only Hermione smiled as she knew what was coming next “Unfortunately, they are serving one type of food; your favorite chili-sandwich”

Hermione began to laugh at the sight of sheer fury on Johnson's face; Johnson himself felt like wanting to strangle Pierce to death.

“Very funny McLaden, and because of your 'funny' jokes you leave me no choice but to take over the whole computer system of the precinct” Johnson retaliated before storming out of the office.

“Watch out for the mousetraps” that was from Pierce who didn't want to waste a second without teasing. Harry and Ron looked in confusion at the laughing detectives.

“What is so funny?” Ron asked.

“Sorry we didn't explain. You see, Pierce used to pull pranks on Johnson, and one of his favorite pranks was replacing Johnson's lunch sandwich with a another one full of hot red pepper; it caused him a stomachache for the rest of the day”

“I call it my chili-sandwich prank” Pierce remarked.

“Well, that was funny but costly; if he was right and took over the whole computer system then we can't follow up with the case” Harry said worriedly; but Pierce made a 'not to worry' face.

“This will be my problem; they can have the whole system; but they can't kick out the programmer easily. I programmed the whole system and have put many ways to login, including a back door I developed just in case the password got changed by mistake”

“That's Pierce, a computer wizard” Hermione remarked proudly.

“Then you can login and search for any cases related to our case here” Harry said interestedly.

“That's right; you can count on me” Pierce replied confidently.

“Great; then I'll leave you to it. I have other work to do; maybe we won't see each other for a month or so”

“Hey, you can't just leave, you've just came; what team is this if you can't be present?” Hermione protested.

“I'm sorry 'mione; but as I told you before I am searching for Muerte's whereabouts; bye” Harry waved his hand goodbye and stepped out of the office.

“Git” Hermione muttered.

“Maybe, but a bonnie on to boot” Ron winked at her and she blushed.

“What is it?” Pierce inquired

“I think that Hermione fancies Harry” Ron said and told him about the drive-by and about Harry's outburst on Johnson.

“Will if that tells something, it is not to underestimate that guy. I never thought that he was capable of getting angry; he looked so calm and friendly. Anyway, I think we should do as he said” Pierce said as he reclaimed his position in front of the computer.

“I feel it was more like an order than a simple request” Hermione said thoughtfully

A vague smile stretched across Ron's face “Maybe”

\-----------------------------------

For the next three weeks, Harry vigorously trained the aurors both physically and mentally, and they all showed high potentials including Jones’ replacement. After the training ended he sorted them into different teams and even promoted some of the most promising recruits. He then ordered them to search the entire city for any suspected location suitable for a hideout; they ended in finding three suitable locations; and with thorough surveillance they confirmed that they are indeed Muerte's thugs' hideouts.

“Vanessa, take your team to location one and keep constant surveillance; I want to know the number of thugs, quantity and type of weapons they got, and the guard shifts; same goes to you aurors Lee and Hanson and your teams, Lee will check location two, while Hanson takes location three. I want three full reports by the end of the day, just remember to use normal muggle cameras; dismiss”

“Right away, sir” the three aurors saluted him firmly before going to their respective missions.

“If I may ask sir, why do we need to know about them? we can storm their hideouts and surprise them” Vlad asked in confusion and curiosity.

“Because of two things Vlad; The first one is to know your enemy before attacking, this will decrease the casualties drastically; and do not underestimate your enemy even if he was a muggle; they may not have magical abilities, but their weapons are much more destructive that a simple Reductor curse. Secondly, we will not strike by ourselves; I will simply hand the intelligence to the muggle detectives and oversee the operation discretely”

“And why is that sir?” Vlad became more confused.

“Well, you don't want to alert the death eaters about our numbers in this early stage, do you? We will let the small fish for the muggles and will take the big one by ourselves in the right time”

“I understand, sir …” Vlad saluted his superior, who smiled at him calmly.

“Have you ever played wizard chess Vlad?” Harry asked suddenly.

“No sir” the Russian auror answered in confusion.

“You should do so; and you too Dick; because death trackers are considered superb strategist” Harry said vaguely.

“Sir, do you mean …” Dick said in bewilderment before being interrupted by Harry “Yes, I mean so; you two along with Sofia are the best aurors I've ever worked with, and your unique abilities must be utilized to the maximum; so it is unwise for the three of you to remain low-ranked aurors”

“Sir, I-I …” Vlad stuttered as the words so he saluted Harry firmly “Thank you sir”

“Now don't get over-sentimental; I never flatter anyone in the job so you’ve earned that yourselves. When this mission comes to an end, I will highly recommend the three of you for promotion”

“Thanks a lot for your trust sir” Dick said as he saluted him.

“It is well earned … Now we need to broaden the headquarters anti-apparition zone a little bit, but this also means that our apparition point will move away too which will make it easy for anyone to tail us like normal muggle. Dick, can you think of a 'technical' solution to this eternal dilemma?”

“I think I can test a theory I just put, sir; I can key the whole team and maybe anyone via the PC here” and he pointed at his trusted personal computer “I can set the apparition point anywhere and selectively allow wizards and witches to be able to apparate into that zone; I will only need a full profile of every person you want to key-in, I will upload it to the computer and send signals with similar wavelength to the ordinary apparition zones”

“Great, but what is the weak point of this theory?” said Harry in apparent interest.

Dick took a deep breath and gave it a thought for a second “Well, the catch is that this ward-penetration system depends solely on the computer. So, if the latter went haywire …”

“It might cripple the penetration process” Harry interrupted, getting the idea.

“Or worse” Dick retorted “It might allow other personnel to breach the ward … undetected”

Harry looked gravely at Dick trying to evaluate the whole deal “So, you say that we can breach the ward easily but via a medium, a computer; and this one to be precise. But the problem is that the computer might break down preventing us from keying-in, or allowing unauthorized personnel to gain access to our well-hidden headquarters”

“This is it sir; great benefit with a rather major risks” dick stated firmly.

“And who said I've ever heeded the risks; our job itself is the ultimate risk” Harry said with a smile “Carry on with plan”

“Right away, sir” Dick smiled and saluted his superior.

“Okay, I need to prepare a new room now. Vlad, would you help me please?” he beckoned Vlad to follow him, and they both entered a small dim room next to the meeting hall. Harry checked it thoroughly before nodding “Great, this will do it”

“What sir?”

“We need to prepare holding cells with an interrogation chamber; to decrease the time needed for enchantment I want you to take do half the work, we need five holding cells with a concentrated anti-apparition ward around each one, and an interrogation chamber. I will erect the walls needed for separation, and you will apply the wards on each section. Now, let's begin”

It took them five hours to prepare the holding cells completely; and the interrogation chamber alone took another two hours. When they finished the whole work they were utterly exhausted.

“At last we finished; of course it is still primitive compared to a true enchanter doings, but it can be considered an adequate deed for aurors” said Harry while massaging his shoulder.

“It has truly drained me out sir” Vlad stated as he tried to keep his eyes open; Harry smiled at the remark and replied “Do you know why Vlad?”

“No sir; and it really surprised me sir because I never felt that tired after a battle”

“That is because you release intermittent bursts of magic during battle; not a steady stream; it is similar to a handgun and a flamethrower which are muggle weapons if you didn't know them. A handgun fires a bullet after another intermittently which barely heat it up, but a flamethrower releases a steady flow of flames which cause the weapon to heat up rapidly, apply the same concept to yourself with your own body as the weapon and your magic spells as the bullets or the flames and you will understand it eventually”

“I will try sir; but to do that I need to rest for a while first”

Harry chuckled “Actually, both of us are in need of an off time; let's put our heads on a pillow for a couple of hour and we will feel refreshed afterwards” he finished his sentence with a yawn and ushered the Russian auror to follow him to the team sleeping quarters. They quickly slumbered due to their exhaustion, but Harry didn't get much of a sleep because of flue call

“Sir, it is a flue call from St. Mungos; they say that Parkinson has awakened” Dick said after he awakened his commander.

“About time …” Harry said as he stretched his arms and sat up “When did it happen?”

“They say it happened an hour ago, but they needed to check her vitals before calling”

“Okay, listen Dick; I need you to contact the minister and ask for more aurors to guard Parkinson; after I question her thoroughly we will move her back to UK”

“Right away sir” Dick replied before returning to his position. Harry stretched his arms a second time before muttering to himself “Let's see what you got Parkinson”

\-------------------------------

Fifteen minutes later he was passing through the gates of St. Mungos; he reached the detention ward where he was saluted by the two guarding aurors before entering.

“Potter” Pansy greeted dryly as she saw him enter the ward, here face devoid of her usual sneer which was replaced by a vacant almost-haunting look.

“Parkinson, or should I say … Mrs. Malfoy” He retorted, and gloom hovered on her face.

“It doesn't matter now; Draco will never accept me back, especially after I joined the death eaters”

“Which bring us to the main subject” Harry stated and summoned a chair to sit beside her bed “Why did you join them?”

“At that point I don't now; I always tell myself that I wanted to kill Flint, but I think that I joined them to punish myself for not being able to protect my baby” when she reached the last part her lower lip trembled, and she began to cry silently.

Harry waited for her to release her pent up emotions and looked at her in silence; when she calmed down he began the questioning again “They will pay for their crimes, I assure you” He said to her in reassurance “but in order to bring them down we need to know what sort of spell they used on the victims”

“Explodia” she answered calmly “The total explosion curse; it is not a new curse but an ancient one. Flint only taught it to his trusties whom I couldn't be one of them, so I only know it by name”

“Which is enough; we will search for full details in the old dark arts books. I just have another question; do you know where the death eater headquarter is?”

“I used to know where it is, but Flint always obliviate the death eaters before they go to their missions; only those in his inner circle are not obliviated; and they are merely a handful”

“That cunning fox” Harry said “Well, that is enough for now; in the mean time you need to regain your strength because you will be transferred to UK for trial”

“I don't care” she said sadly “Let them serve me to the veil; I don't desire to keep on living anymore”

Harry felt sympathy towards the ruined mother; he sat beside her and spoke softly “If you need my opinion, what you have done is considered an insult to your daughter's memory. Life goes on even if we felt the opposite of that, and even if we lost those whom we loved. I will support you in the trial only because I knew what you have been through; just remember that you are not alone, there are always people who care about you” Harry stood up and walked toward the door.

“Harry” Pansy whispered and he turned to her and saw tears glistening in her eyes “Thank you” she smiled at him, and he smiled back “You are welcome”

As soon as he stepped out of the room, he got a call via the invisible headphone. He walked into an isolated corridor before answering the call.

“Speak up” He commanded through the headphone and the Techni-Auror replied “Auror Howards, reporting”

“Dick, what is it? I hope it is something important” Harry said firmly

“It is, sir. It seems that Minister Malone refused your request. He said that th given reasons are unconvincing”

“That is not good” Harry muttered “I'm quite busy now; I will flue him when I return to the HQ; I'm quite busy now”

“Don't worry sir; you can call him right now”

“And how is that”

“You see sir; this invisible headphone is not just for audio transmission, or it will be like any other muggle headphone. There is a button just above the mike, push it”

Harry pushed the button, and to his surprise a green miniature three dimensional image of Dick appeared in the middle air. “You never seize to amaze me Dick” he said while smiling in astonishment.

“That you sir; the device could even be upgraded with more features if I could have enough funding from the ministry” Dick said with hope.

“I will consider it then”

“Thank you, sir. Now I will connect you to the flue-network so you can call the minister”

“Is the line secure enough for the call?”

“It is sir; and it will appear to him as if you were calling by flue” Dick said just before his image faded; and the image of Minister Malone appeared.

“Potter” the minister greeted rather aggressively.

“Minister”

“What is this nonsense that auror Howards told me about; why do you want to transfer that death eater Parkinson to England”

“To present her before the Wizengamot, sir”

“Like we don't have any court here; she will be put on trial, and here in USA”

Harry replied calmly “With all due respect sir; if she has committed any crime that will be when she was in England; and I can prove that she didn't kill anybody here”

“And how is that” the minister asked firmly

“By Legilimensy sir”

The minister said nothing for a minute before speaking “Potter; why do you care for her wellbeing that much?”

Harry never hesitated to speak his mind “Because, sir, I do not think that she has ever been a death eater; I've just finished questioning her and she said that she joined them so she can kill Flint by herself; and more than that she wanted to punish herself for not being able to protect her slain daughter. What I think, sir, that she is more a ruined mother than a death eater to me; and all that I ask that she is given a chance to be tried by her kin”

The minister caught every word Harry said and gave it a deep thought ‘You are assuming too much, Potter” he said “But if I didn't trust your judgment then I would've let you lead this mission; permission granted”

“Thank you sir for your trust”

“I will wait for more good news, Potter”

“You can count on me to bring it, sir” Harry said calmly as the call ended.

\-----------------------------

“I found another one” Pierce exclaimed excitedly, and Ron and Hermione walked across the desk and sat beside him.

“If it is another old case then don’t bother showing it to me” Ron blurted in frustration, but was interrupted by Pierce “Actually, it is a fresh one this time; but it took place in another state; Florida. However, if you checked the picture of the victim …” Pierce said as he enlarged the picture “That same as our customers”

“My God!” Hermione said almost in a whisper “Florida! How big is this cult?!”

“After they went overseas; nobody knows” Ron replied almost in dazed by the monstrosity of the picture _'What the bloody is that all about Flint? Why the gruesome killings? As if he has his own vendetta against the old circle'_ he thought to himself.

The fax suddenly came to life; and began to print something. “Finally” Hermione exclaimed.

“What is it 'mione” Ron asked her.

“It is a request I sent three hours ago to Scotland Yard; I asked them if there was any activities related to the 'Death Eater' cult” she replied before picking up the papers “Yes, they say that there were some devilish murders in Devonshire; but that last activity recorded was two years ago. That's odd, I was always on the look of any old cases to read in my time off, but I never came across _this_ file”

“Maybe you didn't look thoroughly” Ron said to her although he knew that this file was ‘inserted’ into the Yard's database by the Ministry of Magic three weeks ago.

“Anyway; I think that we have enough information to study their tactics and research their killing style; I just wish that Harry is faring just as well”

“Missing the bloke, luv” Ron remarked teasingly. And Pierce howled with laughter “I think it is time to play matchmakers, eh Wes?”

“Honestly, you two … Acting like a couple of teenage schoolboys” Hermione said angrily, and couldn't help blushing fiercely.

\--------------------------------------

Harry spent the next two hours in the restricted section in the library; and with the name given by Pansy he easily found the information about the curse; but it was just a concise article with no details about how to use it.

He sighed in frustration and muttered “I wish I was in England; this library is hardly enough for such research”

He copied the article and returned to the HQ; where he found the squad leaders waiting for him.

“Sir, security reports are ready” Vanessa stepped forward and handed him the three reports.

“Good” Harry said “Now return to your posts”

The three leaders exchanged confused looks before Lee asked “Why don't we attack them right now sir?”

“I knew you would ask that question; but first I want to ask you myself, can you remind me with the third decree from section twenty five in the 'Auror Ethics Statute'?”

The three aurors exchanged looks again before Hanson spoke “Aurors are not to interfere with muggle security forces or to arrest any muggle criminal …”

Lee continued “The only exception is when the muggle criminal threatens the safety of a wizard civilian, when they ally themselves with a wizard outlaw, or when the Minister of Magic gives the consent of bring him/her in”

“Well done, I see that you have done your homework?” Harry said smiling.

Vanessa stepped in “But sir; isn't that exception applied to those muggles? They have allied themselves with the death eaters”

“You are right Vanessa; but this catch is too small to be handled by aurors, I want to pass it on to the muggle police so they handle it themselves and wait for the bigger catch; their boss along with Flint himself; now return to your posts and inform the other team leaders of the same thing; dismiss”

“Roger, sir” The three leaders saluted his and stepped out of the HQ.

“Dick; you can rest for a while as there is nothing we can do now; in the mean time I will return to my flat or a certain own will be quite upset with my neglect” Harry said with a smile and went out of the HQ.

\----------------------------------

The next morning came rather quickly, but Hermione was fast asleep because she worked until late hour last night. However, her comfort came to an end when the hall was filled with ringing as the phone came to life. She ignored the irksome machine and covered her head with the pillow, but it seems as if it would go forever; so she dragged herself out of bed and picked up the phone almost tearing it off the wall.

“Bloody hello, do you know what time is it you wanker?” she yelled with irritation.

“Still the same grumpy sleeper, I see” the voice scolded; and she came out of her trance “M-Mum; why are you calling in this late hour? I told you before that it is early morning in Los Angeles”

“I know, but since we don't know where do you live we need you to pick us up from the airport”

Hermione had a mixed up look on her face “Pick you up? Airport? MUM!! don't tell me that you …”

“Yes we are young woman” her father's firm voice came out of the phone “Now I want you to come down here this instance; I am beginning to lose my patience” and she heard the phone being hanged up.

“Oh, brother” she moaned and stepped into the shower.

\------------------------------------

“Hermione, we are here” she saw her mother waving at her at the end of the pavement; she parked her car and stepped out of it.

“It's good to see you Hermione, what took you so long?” her mother asked while hugging her.

“I ran though some really heavy traffic” Hermione said returning the hug “Where is dad?”

“I think he went to check for available hotels”

“You will _not_ be staying at a hotel while I'm here; that would be a rude” Hermione said almost scolding her mother.

“We don't want to trouble you dear” her mother said with tenderness.

“You are not; in fact I'm feeling rather lonely and you could keep me company, at least for the two hours I spend at home” she said laughing “And I do have an extra bedroom that you can use”

Dan Granger came out of the airport with a brochure at hand “I think I found a suitable hotel, Emma. Oh, hello Hermione”

“Hi daddy” she hugged her father tightly.

“Sorry for yelling at you early this hour; but I was very frustrated with the slow process of the customs office” he returned the hug “How is my sweat little girl?”

“I'm fine dad; but I'm not a little girl anymore”

“You will always be my little girl; even if you blossom into a fine mature woman like you did now”

“All what she needs now is a man looking after her” Emma teased her, and Hermione blushed fiercely “Mum, not that matter again”

“Your mother is right, you know. You cannot live alone forever” Dan said seriously “We will not stay at your side for long; and I want to see my grandchildren before I die”

“Dad; don't say that. And for that matter; after what happened to my last boyfriend, I don't think I have enough courage lift to start a new relationship” Hermione said rather sadly.

“These are not words uttered by a Granger. And you should know that life goes on; and the death of a person does not mean the end of life, your destiny is still before you; and you should start to think of life, not death. But that doesn't mean to pick a random bloke off the street” she laughed at his last words which alleviated her mood a little “That's my Hermione; nothing is worth feeling sad for in this life”

“Dad, if you really want me not to feel sad, then you will stay in my flat while you are here” she looked at him obstinately.

“But Hermione … Ahhh, I know when I'm cornered. Okay, you win this time” and they all got in the car.

\--------------------------------------

 It took them an hour to reach Hermione's apartment; and when they reached it, they found Harry waiting in front of the door.

“Harry” Hermione exclaimed in surprise.

“Oh, Hermione; you are here” he greeted her with his trademark calm grin.

“How did you know my address?” she asked his curiously.

“Simply; I asked” he answered her calmly “And with Ron being your neighbor, it didn't take that long to find it”; he then noticed her companions “Sorry for being rude; I'm Harry Potter” he extended his hand to Dan who accepted it immediately while glancing at the young man as if he was weighing him.

“Harry; this is my father Daniel Granger, and this is my mother Emma Granger; they are both dentists and they are here on a holiday”

“Pleasure to meet you sir” Harry said politely

“The pleasure is mine. So, what brings a red-blooded Englishman down here to the far side of the world? Are you on holiday?”

“Actually, dad; he is a private detective, and we are working on a mutual case” Hermione interjected.

“Oh, then I assume that you did not come this early for mere hellos”

“You are absolutely right sir. I can clearly see where Hermione inherited her intellect from” Dan chuckled, and Hermione blushed at the indirect compliment.

“Hey, I'm not dumb, too” Emma protested comically.

“I said nothing ma'am; but I think she inherited other thing including intelligence from you; strong personality and maybe … Good looks”

Hermione turned crimson red, and her mother giggled “Oh, thank you Mr. Potter; although I think that you should say that flattery directly to my daughter”

“Let go inside darling and leave those two lovebirds to their chit-chat” he winked at Hermione as he rounded his wife's shoulders and they went inside together.

“Honestly” Hermione sighed “They can be really unbearable sometimes”

“On the contrary, I found them really amusing; you should be thankful for having such wonderful and loving parents”

“Don't you dare flatter me again, Potter” she pointed a scolding finger at him, but couldn't help but to smile.

“I don't flatter 'Mione; I only state facts, they are lovely parents, and I envy you” he said it calmly although she could see a bit of sadness in his eyes.

“A bit overbearing but nice, nonetheless …” She in her usual descriptive tone “How about your parents? Are they as suffocating as mine?”

“I wouldn’t know … They’re both dead” His calm statement caused Hermione to bite her lip in remorse especially when she saw the look on his face, and then it hit her; it was the first non-business thing she knew about Harry, and apparently he knew more about her than she knew about him.

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t … I mean, didn’t” She flustered a bit before she could gather her thoughts “I’m sorry … How did they die?”

“Car accident …” He said and couldn’t help but to smile at his lie. It was the only useful thing he took from the Dursleys.

“I’m sorry” For the third time Hermione said it and he smiled at her “You know, it’s not your fault that they are dead” he chuckled at burning cheeks and couldn’t help but to take notice at this side of his muggle friend; her gentle and caring side. It was so long since he interacted with people outside his profession that he started to lose a bit of his humanity. But that one glance at Hermione made him feel … Alive.

“Thank you …” He said softly to her which caused her to blush fiercely and she said trying to avert the conversation “So, what brings you her at this hour?”

“Oh!” He remembered that he was here on business and pulled a dossier out of his coat's pocket.

“What is it?” Hermione said as she leafing through it.

“Muerte's thugs' recent hideouts” he answered calmly, and she almost dropped the folder.

“Harry; this is a treasure trove! How did you to put your hand on such thing?” she said as she skimmed through the details of each hideout.

“A little bird told me. A little jailbird” said Harry smiling, then leaned at the papers “Look here, here, and here; these are the main entrances of the hideouts; I suggest that you attack through them concurrently while another team watching the secondary entrances in here” and he pointed at another door “This surprise attack will catch them off guard, and will extremely decrease your casualties. Oh, and I didn't mention that it will piss Muerte off his mind … Shock and Awe” he smiled at her and leaned back.

Hermione was dumbfounded at his smart plan “God, Harry; you speak like a true commander”

He smiled at her remark but never replied; instead he assumed a serious face before speaking again “I'm sorry to come in this inappropriate time; but I want to hand you this file before leaving”

“Leaving where?” asked the confused detective.

“Well, I received an urgent call from home; some old friends and I will meet up and discuss the recurring menace” he said trying not to look too suspicious.

“You too! Ron has excused himself from work to go to England, too”

“Yes, that is because Ron and I were in the same posse that solved the death eater case back home”

“That's quite … weird; Ron said that he wanted to visit his parents, and he never mentioned anything about a meeting”

Harry felt like a fish being caught by a hook; Hermione was really cunning when it comes to interrogation; but he also has some tricks up his sleeve, he was a master strategist after all.

“Do you blame me for being honest with you?” he said calmly.

“Well, no; but it was odd that you both excused yourselves at the same time and have the same destination; with different purposes” she replied with obvious doubt in her voice

“Ron might have his reasons to hide his intentions, but I felt like I've hidden enough from you, and that is how you reward me for being honest” Harry said hoping she will buy it; and she seems to struggle in her mind before settling up.

“I'm just surprised, because it is a first time _you_ tell me something confidential” she eyed him with inquiry.

“I've just told you; I didn't want to hide this matter from you. And to tell you the truth, if the meeting was fruitful, which I doubt it, I will share the outcome with you, feeling satisfied now?”

“Yes, thank you for your trust Harry” she smiled at him, and he smiled back “No, thank _you_ for your patience and understanding for a whole month. Any other detective wouldn't have tolerated my way of work; but you have waited and observed patiently; and now you reap what you sow”

Hermione was amazed by his elegant reply “You never seize to amaze me, Potter; I never knew that you have such a silver tongue”

“I only state the truth; and to be honest I'm sure that Ron didn't lie; he will definitely visit his parents while we are in England. And I will visit mine”

“Oh” she said in discomfort and he chuckled at her yet again “Okay, time to go; I have to fetch Ron now or he will suffer another 'Morning Shower' yet again”

She giggled at the passing picture “Yes, I think you should”, and she lean forward and planted a kiss on his cheek. He didn't expect it, and didn't blush because he was stunned beyond blushing.

“What was that all about?” he asked in a hoarse voice, feeling awkward about the whole situation.

She looked at the floor shyly and tucked a hair behind her left ear “Well, I remembered that I didn't thank you for saving my life back then and I figured, well, you know” and a blush crept to her cheeks.

Harry felt his awkwardness double and he brushed his messy hair “Err … Any time; I MEAN … You're welcome” he stammered while trying to find suitable words. Hermione, on the other hand, found him rather cute “You look cute when you stutter” she said almost in a whisper and blushed even more.

“T-Thank you” he replied with more stammer “I … I think I should go” he said while pointing on the other side; she nodded shyly and he walked away. Both of them thought at the same time _'Why do I feel sheepish?'_

\-------------------------------------------©

Hermione stepped in her apartment only to find her mother sitting on the sofa watching something on the TV; “Mom, why aren't you sleeping?” she said and sat beside her.

“I slept during the flight; but your father, as usual, brought a book with him which kept him up the whole time; so you will find him collapsed on the bed right now” said her mother casually; then she turned off the TV and looked at Hermione with a gleam “Now tell me; who is this chap really?”

Hermione rolled her eyes and answered “I told you before mom; he is a private detective, and we are working on a case together”

“So, nothing between you two; like snogging for instance”

“MUM!!” Hermione exclaimed blushing at the remark; and her mother giggled, “I'm not that kind” Hermione stated while fighting the blush.

“Why?” Emma retorted “He is a nice bloke; and a handsome one to boot” she winked at her daughter and giggled as she saw the blush creeping again.

“Actually; I just gave him a peck on the cheek” Hermione's confessed to her mother and the blush was beyond fighting now, and her mother's eyes gleamed with victory “I knew it; you fancy him Hermione”

“It was a 'thank you' peck, mom; for saving me” said Hermione; and began to tell her mother everything about the assassination attempt by Muerte's thugs and Harry's heroic intervention, not missing the panic appearing in her mother's eyes; and when she finished her story, Emma hugged her tightly and her tears began to flow.

“My baby; thank God for you being alive, and thank Harry too” then she looked seriously at her only daughter with her still-watery eyes “Hermione, if that tells me something, that is Harry is not an ordinary man; he is brave beyond words, and modest too; when we just met him he acted like he has done nothing; any other chap would have boasted around and told everybody about his extraordinary feats”

“I know” Hermione said quietly “I can't forget what happened; my mind froze when I saw the approaching car, and he was three meters away. Oh mom, if you saw him diving the whole three meters towards me; he looked like a soaring eagle” she hugged her knees and a dreamy look that her mother noticed and smiled at “And that was not all; he then covered me with his whole body protecting me from the bullet shower that followed; which luckily didn't harm any of us”

“I told you Hermione, this is a deed of a hero; any other bloke would've saved his skin first; I truly owe him a lot for saving my only child” she hugged her again.

“It is sad that he is only a temporary ally” said Hermione with disappointment.

“You can make him a permanent _boyfriend_ , Hermione” her mother said with a wink, and she blushed a little “You see, I knew you fancy him”

\---------------------------------------

_'Yes Potter, admit it, you fancy her'_ Harry said to himself as he waited for Ron and Ginny, and he touched the spot she peck him at dreamily; he felt dazed after that kiss even that it was a mere peck on the cheek _'Yes, you fancy her Potter'_ ; he shook his head vigorously and unintentionally spoke out loudly “Wrong, wrong!!”

“What is wrong, Harry?” Ron sounded while coming out of his room.

“Nothing, just … Err … Just thinking of the next logical step in finding Flint” he lied while avoiding Ron's eyes, who felt that it was not the real issue here but played along anyway “Well, let’s leave that until we return from our trip. Right now the most bothersome thing is us missing the international apparition time because of Ginny. HEY, GIN … Oh, Merlin” he groaned as he saw his sister coming out of her room with a rather large trunk hovering before her.

“For Merlin's sake Ginny; it is only for two days” he exclaimed with obvious annoyance, and she glared at him.

“Even if, a woman has to carry the bare necessities with her anywhere she goes to”

“Yeah; and if I started to list these 'bare necessities', I won't finish until next week. Hell, I will even get a parchment with the length of seven of Snape's essays combined”

“Oh will you just shut it, Ron” she yelled at him, then she glared at Harry who was grinning widely “And what is funny, Potter?”

“Nothing really …” he backed off immediately “It's just that my soreness have disappeared”

“Whatever …” she rolled her eyes and shrank her trunk and picked it up “Now …” she exclaimed “Let's go, Shall we?” and they all exited the apartment.

\------------------------------------

“No, Absolutely not detective” Captain Maonski's face flushed with anger as he yelled on the Hermione.

“But why captain; we can catch them all in on swift attack” she said not believing the denial her superior shows.

“I told you before, this is an FBI case now; and even if I didn't like them I won't listen to an outsource detective who has nothing but talk”

“You are wrong this time” she smiled in victory “He has THIS” she flashed the dossier at him; but unfortunately, Johnson chose this moment to enter.

“What is this detective?” Maronski said while leafing through the folder.

“Yeah, what is this Granger?” Johnson looked suspicious.

“None of your bloody business” she snapped at the agent; and snatched the folder from between the captain's fingers “If you don't want to help me, then you won't need this”

“Granger” both men exclaimed at her and Johnson tried to catch her; but she was gone by then.

“What was that all about?” demanded the agent while looking at Maronski.

“That Potter gave her a full surveillance document of the cartel’s hideouts”

“WHAT?! How could he do that? We even didn’t know about these so-called hideouts”

“Believe it or not. That document even contains photos of these hideouts”

“I've got to put my hands on that document” Johnson said firmly and the police captain held his hands dismissively “Good luck with that; I won't stand in your way”

\------------------------------------------

Harry, Ron, and Ginny reached the International Apparition Zone in Brimstone Alley, and from there they apparated to London; specifically to the newly established apparadrome in Diagon Alley.

“Ah, home sweet home” Ron sighed at the long unseen sight of the alley.

“Come on boys; let's give Fred and George a visit” Ginny exclaimed with excitement.

“I'm afraid I have other matters to tend to Ginny; sorry” Harry said to her; and Ron retorted sarcastically “Yeah; like Gringotts for instance” and Harry rolled his eyes but didn't replied.

“Oh, you are no fun you two. Okay, I will go then” and she disappeared in the crowd.

“So Harry, on our way then?” Ron ushered him and walked toward the bank. While they were walking and talking, a teenage girl came to them “Merlin, it's Harry Potter” and she hugged Harry tightly catching him off guard, her exclamation cause the walkers by to notice their presence much to Harry’s annoyance “Thank you, thank you, thank you; you have made our life easier by defeating the dark lord”

Harry, who was fighting to keep his balance, replied instantly “You're welcome; just … Can you let me go now, I can't keep my balance any longer”; she let him go and shot toward Ron, who was laughing at Harry's situation only to be in a similar one. The girl then said her farewells and disappeared in the crowd.

“Funny girl” Ron said “She reminds me of Luna in some sort”

“With more weirdness, I think” Harry said “Although I can't help but to feel uneasy at the whole thing” he said as he felt his sixth sense tingling.

“Now Harry, don't start mate; it is just your usual discomfort around girls” Ron said dismissively.

“Maybe” Harry said; and they both continued on their way, not noticing the gleam of triumph in the girl's eyes as he tightened her grip on her precious loot.

\--------------------------------

Hermione slammed the office door waking up the drowsy Pierce.

“Hey, why do you always do that Herms” the sleepy detective questioned his furious partner.

“As long as there are arses in authority, I will always do that; and why are you sleeping on duty”

“Sherry had a nightmare last night, so Lydia decided to bring her to our room; and she never returned to sleep after that” he ended his statement with a large yawn to prove he is right.

“What I've got will take away the sleep from your eyes” and she flashed the dossier before his face.

“Right” Pierce said half-heartedly “If you want to apply for a job here, miss, try the next office” he said teasingly; and Hermione rolled her eyes “Honestly, Pierce, will you behave seriously for once in your life”

He chuckled a bit then spoke “OK, now I'm serious; what is it?”

Her eyes gleamed as she opened the folder and put it in front of him “Muerte's thugs' hideouts”. Pierce look speechless at the document; he quickly leafed through it, and then looked at his partner dazedly “Where … Where did you get this, this jackpot?!”

“Harry gave it to me this morning” she answered with equal excitement “Can you believe it?”

“If I wasn't holding it in my hands, I wouldn't believe it” he said with no trace of sleeplessness “How did he do that? It is a work of an organization, not a PI”

His words hit Hermione straight in the head “Of course…” she said to herself “Of course!! that is how he got his information so easily. And that is his 'good source', how sneaky”

“Err … I think you've lost me Hermione”; she noticed that she was talking to herself loudly; she took her time arranging her thoughts before speaking “Pierce, I have a favor to ask. I want you to look for any information regarding Harry Potter”

“Why?” he asked with more confusion “He is our ally; why do you want to research him?”

“Because …” she pressed her words “He seems to know more than a mere lone detective; and he knows about us much more than we know about him. I want to level the playfield for us”

“Okay but it'll have to wait for now; we have an interesting business in our hands” Pierce said as he waved the folder.

“We will not go anywhere with it; that idiot Maronski refused to give permission to attack”

“WHAT?” Pierce exclaimed “Now he has gone too far”

“Because he knew his limits, McLaden, unlike you two” Johnson said as he stepped in the office in provocative way.

“What do you want Johnson? If you want the dossier then forget it, I will not give it to you and you cannot force me to; I know the law dealing with unofficial surveillance documents” Hermione shouted at the unflinching agent.

“Actually, I was hoping to reason with you. You see, the captain can't order the attack by himself because it is an FBI case now; but if you handed us the document to examine, then something fruitful might come out of it; and we may even get the chance of taking down Muerte once and for all”

“Yeah, and get all the credits for yourself to boot” Pierce mumbled in an audible voice. And Johnson heard him all right “Either that or a drug lord on the loose” he said then turned his attention back to Hermione “What did you say Granger? Will you gave me the papers now so the FBI can study it thoroughly?”

Hermione looked at him intently for a minute as if she weighing his word, then she spoke slowly “Yes, I will hand it to you”

“Hermione!” Pierce exclaimed in disbelief; and Johnson smiled and was about to say something, but Hermione motioned him to stop “I didn't complete my answer; I will hand the folder to you only if you brought the proper warrant”

Johnson frowned at her answer but gave it a thought for a second “OK, I accept; just give me ten minutes to make some calls”

“Take your time; I'm not going anywhere” she said while smiling at him sarcastically. And as soon as he stepped out of the office Pierce exploded “Are you mad?! Why have you accepted such prejudice?”

“Because this is the only way Pierce” she said patiently “We don't have time to convince Maronski with the case or the thugs might slip away. But don't worry; I will not give him the original files, I want you to copy it for me and then scan it into the computer so we can research it”

“That's a good start, but for what?” Pierce asked.

“I want you to compare the handwriting to the known ones; also we have to compare the style of information gathering to the styles of known paramilitary organizations” she closed her eyes for a second before continuing “The good … And the bad”

\-------------------------------------

Harry and Ron reached Gringotts bank after three dozens of handshakes or so; they barely could escape the excited mob as they squeezed their selves through.

“Blimey, they've gone totally mental” snorted Ron as he straightened his clothes.

“They are just a happy crowd, Ron” Harry said with a clam smile as he repaired his glasses, and then changed to a mischievous grin “You wanted fame; then deal with the consequences”

“Frankly, it is less than appealing and I began to care more and more less about it” the redhead retorted “So, why don't you go on with your business and I will go on with mine”

“Okay, we will meet up right here afterwards” Harry said as both of them went into separate ways. He walked toward the desk of the director of Gringotts, and saw the hairy old goblin sitting at it.

“Director Ragnok” Harry greeted warmly.

“Mr. Potter, long time no see; and please Mr. Potter, it is Ragnok” the old director greeted back as he straightened his glasses

“Only if you called me Harry”

“Mr. Potter, you know that it is illicit for the bank employees to address the shareholders of Gringotts, especially the major ones such as yourself and Mr. Malfoy, improperly”

“O please, who has put this stupid rule?” Harry said in clear frustration.

“It appears to be the ministry in the days of Fudge” Ragnok replied calmly “But I presume that you are not here to discuss feasibility of the rules Mr. Potter”

“You are right on that. Actually I'm here to check if you have any progress in the tracing of my family line”

“We do have quite a progress in that aspect, sir. And what you said is true Mr. Potter; you are indeed the last direct descendant of Godric Gryffindor”

“Great, although I know it already; but it's good to be sure”

“Actually” Ragnok interrupted “It also means that you are the legitimate owner of the Gryffindor Chamber”

“Gryffindor Chamber?” Harry said with total surprise “Isn't it a myth”

“Not at all Mr. Potter” Ragnok said with a smile “You see; we have helped in spreading the rumor to dishearten the false claimers; but the chamber is true and here, in Gringotts”

“Cool, why don’t we go and check it then?” Harry said with eagerness.

“Alas; there is but one problem Mr. Potter; one of my associates, Griphook to be precise …” he said it as he gave his aide goblin a nasty look “… misplaced the key to the chamber in the keys vault. We already in the middle of our search for it, and we are down to the last pile of keys right now”

“So, it will take some time to find the key” Harry said with disappointment “I don't really have time for this, I'm quite busy these days”

“Not to worry Mr. Potter; by the end of the day we will find the key”

“But it will be after hours by then; and I will return to America tomorrow”

“As a major partner, you may visit the bank at any time; and it is our fault that the key was lost”

“Very well; and that concludes our business in this matter” Harry said dismissively “Let's talk other business now; how is your investigations regarding the death eaters assets?”

“It is going smoothly as a matter of fact; thanks to the list Mr. Malfoy gave to us. Also we found that some of these assets are shares in Gringotts”

“Crafty work” Harry muttered to himself “How much?”

“It can be equal to twenty percent of the total shares; what should we do about them?”

“Split them in half; and sell on half to the Weasley family” Harry said as he thought of the sheer happiness that will be on Ron's face.

“Deservingly so” Ragnok said “And what about the other ten percent?”

“The goblins can buy it” Harry said hastily, and Ragnok was taken aback by the answer.

“If I may say, sir; the magical creatures have no right to deal with the financial matters of the wizard world except as employees”

“Let me deal with the legalities; you just deal with the paperwork” said Harry, then he smiled mischievously “Maybe now you can call me by my name Ragnok”

Ragnok smiled “I should have known better than to bang heads with a master strategist like you … Harry” Ragnok straightened his glasses “If you deal with the legalities; I will start the paperwork in this matter; so, any other business”

“Yes, open a new vault and start a trust fund for St. Mungos hospital; with a base of one million galleons, double the funds for the orphanage”

“That will be done then; any other things?”

“One last thing … You see; I cannot come to Gringotts frequently because of my work outside England; I want to open a new vault in USA branch of Gringotts so I can be able to draw money from”

“That is not a problem Harry. As a partner; I may be able to allow you to access your own vault, or vaults to be correct, anywhere in the world”

“How?” Harry sounded intrigued.

“By the time/space portal” Ragnok answered in excitement “It is an old goblin magic that creates  magical portal which can be accessed by goblins. This portal allows its user to go anywhere around the world”

“It sounds like runic magic to me”

“Yes indeed; except that runic magic is performed by humans; so you can say that this is its non-human equivalent. It will take some time to be erected; and if you need to access it anywhere in the world, just go straight to the branch director”

“I just want to access it in Los Angeles” Harry replied.

“Hmm, Los Angeles” Ragnok straightened his glasses again as he took a list from the right drawer and reviewed it “Yes, you just have to refer to my brother, Grimrok; he is the director of Gringotts branch there; it is located in Brimstone alley”

“Very well, and that concludes our business; I will check the Gryffindor Chamber in the evening” Harry said dismissively and was about to go, but Ragnok stopped him “Just one minute, Harry; I forgot to tell you that some of your businesses require your presence in the board meeting. You see; you are not the major partner of Gringotts alone; you have shares in nearly all the companies in wizard world and some major companies in muggle world, including five multi-national companies; and your overseas investments are growing constantly. In other words, you are as rich as any other business tycoon in the world; in fact you are the youngest tycoon in the history of both muggle and wizard worlds”

“Good thing to know if I was interested in business, which I'm not; can't the board committee move on without me”

“I'm afraid not, Harry; as the major shareholder you must be present in each and every meeting because your vote has the power of casting out almost everyone in the administration, including the executives”

“The problem is; I care more about the safety of people than a few galleons to be added to my vaults” Harry said in disinterest.

“I know Harry; and by that you are proving to be more and more like your father, both notable aurors, and both are exceedingly rich; but unfortunately I have no other solution for that matter”

Harry frowned and gave this matter a thought for a minute, before it hits him “Ragnok, can I appoint a representative that can replace me in the board committee?”

The old goblin rubbed his chin and thought for a second before answering “Only if the board member has other meeting to tend to, then yes; but who will you appoint for that?”

“You” Harry said simply, and the elder goblin was taken aback once again “Me?”

“Yes, you Ragnok; who else can be as experienced as you when it comes to business?”

“Thank you for the compliment, Harry; but you know that not all your shares are in wizard companies” and he chucked a bit “I can easily imagine the look on the muggles faces when they see a goblin attend their meeting”

“Yes, you are right on that; but who else can be trusted with such thing?”

“May I recommend one Harry; Bill Weasley is the best choice in this, although his main profession is a curse-breaker, but he has proved more than once that he has the gift of management within him”

“And he is more than trustworthy” Harry stated his approval “Okay then; I accept under one condition; he must report to you before any decision to be made” they finished their business and Harry went to the doors only to find Ron waiting for him.

“Hey mate; how is your ever-growing business?” Ron teased him.

“Still growing, as a matter of fact” Harry retorted “Hey, I have a surprise for you; the Weasley family now officially own stocks in Gringotts”

“Mate, don't tease me” Ron said in disbelief, but when he saw the serious look on Harry's face he couldn't veil his happiness “At last I can give Malfoy what he deserves”

“Careful mate; this is not Hogwarts anymore, it is strictly business” Harry warned him.

“I can't wait to see the look on mum's face; she will be ecstatic” Ron said in excitement “Anyway; we don't have anything to do now, so how about a stroll in the alley?”

“Lead the way” Harry said in agreement.

\---------------------------------------

“Granger; I've brought the warrant” Johnson said dryly as he entered the office “Now, hand me he folder” he said impatiently as he waved the piece of paper.

“Now, now; aren't we a bit hasty?” she retorted sarcastically as she scanned the warrant; then she handed him the copy of the folder.

Johnson's eyes gleamed as he scanned the folder, then he looked at both detectives and sneered “After OUR agents go through the folder and establish the required surveillance, I will invite you to the scene to witness the true application of law enforcement”

“I can hardly wait” Pierce stated in jeering boredom. Johnson didn't comment and stepped out of the office.

“At last, a moment of peace” Hermione sighed “Now, care to tell me what have you found”

“Actually, I found nothing” Pierce said casually “No single known organization can establish a full surveillance like this file for less than a month”

“It is really eerie” Hermione said as she pondered through the available options “And what about Potter's file?”

“Now that's a good thing” Pierce said in a tone that attracted her attention “I searched the whole police database for any file on him, and found nothing; so I tried the immigration office database” he looked at her straight in the eyes “I also found nothing”

“What? How did he then enter the United States?” Hermione exclaimed in discomfort “This means he is either an American citizen or an illegal immigrant”

“That's right; I had the same thought, so I checked the ministry of Interior and also … Found nothing”

“I have a bad feeling about this” Hermione said gravely; then waved with her hand dismissively “No time for that now; when Harry returns from his errand we well confront him. Right now we must check the document for any details about Muerte's whereabouts”

“Wouldn't the feds find out first?” Perce asked.

“I don't think so; they weren't good enough to catch him last time, so we should be ready to mend their upcoming mistakes”

\---------------------------------------------

Harry and Ron reached the Borrow by noon; they took their time strolling along the alley and browsing the shops windows, especially the Quidditch supplies where Ron took his time marveling the new version of the Firebolt. They couldn't enter the Weasley Wizard Wheezes due to the overcrowding; so they decided to call it a day and return to the Borrow.

“Mum, we're home” Ron yelled at the top of his voice.

“Stop barking like a dog Ron, we are here” they turned to the source of the voice and saw Ginny sitting at the dining table drinking some butterbeer; Molly stood up and paced towards them with watery eyes.

“Ronald, Harry dear; it's good to see the two of you in good shape, why are you late?” she said and greeted them with the Weasley famous bone-crushing hug while crying.

“Mum, please; we are not children anymore; we can take care of ourselves” Ron groaned as he freed himself from the hug.

She wiped her eyes and ushered them inside “I suppose that you are hungry, so I prepared a meal for you”

“Ahh, I love you mum; you understand me” Ron exclaimed in sheer joy; he sat down and began to dig in. Harry, on the other hand, was eating rather slowly with absent mind.

“Harry dear, why aren't you eating” Molly's voice brought him back to earth; “Sorry Aunt Molly; I just have many things in my mind”

“Yeah mum; Flint is proving to be such a pain in the arse” Ron stated with a full mouth as he started his fifth helping; and his mother scolded him “You better watch your mouth, Ronald Weasley”

Harry chuckled a bit, then something hit him “Ron, I assume that this is not your second helping”

“No, it is his fifth to be precise” Ginny retorted “He is a true monster when it comes to food; I had to refill the fridge three times last week in order to satisfy his ever-growing appetite”

“Ronald Weasley” Harry exclaimed in anger “You better watch your appetite because I don't want chubby aurors on my team”

“I need to maintain my endurance, mate” Ron said defensively.

“At the cost of your agility” Harry retorted with scolding tone.

“Well, I can't keep them all, can I?” Ron said simply and turned his attention back to his plate; not hearing his sister muttering _'Pig'_ under her breath.

After they finished the meal, Ron yawned and announced that he will go to sleep. Molly turned to Harry and asked him “And you dear, you look tired too; you have to get some sleep before the meeting”

“I would love to, Aunt Molly; but unfortunately, I have some other matters to tend to before the meeting; I'll meet you up there in Grimmauld place; Okay?”

“After that polar bear wakes up from hibernation, that is” Ginny said sarcastically earning her a chuckle from Harry.

“You do whatever suites you dear” she said and hugged him fiercely before he is gone.

\-------------------------------------------

“Yes dear; Okay, I'll be there as soon as possible” Pierce ended his phone call and turned to Hermione “That was Lydia asking me to look after Sherry because she will go shopping with her friends, and I see that we don't have anything to do now so I said yes. So, shall we call it a day?”

“Okay, I, too, want to spend some time with my mother and father; they are on vacation after all” she said as both of them exited the precinct and went to their homes. As Hermione reached her apartment and opened the door she heard the laughter coming from the living room; she glanced inside and saw her mother and sitting next to each other laughing while they were leafing through a large book.

“Would you share this happy moment with me?” Hermione said mirthfully.

“Hermione, shouldn't you be at work now?” Emma asked as she closed the book and made room to her daughter to sit down. Hermione sat between her parents as she answered “My partner had to baby-sit his daughter because his wife went shopping; and we didn’t have any work to do, so we called it a day”; she then leaned toward the book “Now tell me; what are you reading?”

“We were running over the album I told you about earlier, dear; and we couldn't contain ourselves as we remembered the old days”

“They were truly 'Golden years'; everybody was carefree and life lover” Dan said with a nostalgic sigh “Young people these days are acting very serious; I doubt that they enjoy life as we did before”

“That's not right dad; it is just that life has become a little … fast-paced” Hermione said defensively.

“You are right on that missy, life is now faster than before; who could ever live in satisfaction with its pace?” her father retorted hastily; then waved his hand “Enough of this matter. Where is that young man Hermione?”

“What young man?” she asked cautiously.

“That investigator who came here early this morning; your mother told me everything that happened, and I want to thank him properly for saving you”

“He is not available dad” she answered while glaring at her mother “Actually, he is out of town”

“Too bad; I wanted to show my full appreciation to the young lad” Dan pouted.

“Don't worry dad, he will return; and you can thank him as you like”

“Even if I tried, I wouldn't be able to; he has done a major deed; an I can only think of one gift that suites that deed”

“What is it?” Hermione asked.

“You” her father said simply and Emma giggled at the blush that appeared on her daughter's face “DAD, this is not funny”

“I'm not joking” her father said “This young man is what the fathers dream for their daughters; someone who can protect his loved ones”; and her Hermione's blush intensified as she heard the last statement “DAD” she exclaimed in awkwardness; and her parents chuckled even more.

“I never doubted my ability in judging people, Hermione; and I tell you, he is not an ordinary young man, even from the only look I had for him I can say that”

Hermione thought about what her father said for a minute 'It is true, I can feel it too. He is not a normal person, but I can't be sure why; is it the power beneath that calm face of his, or the gift of command that he showed when he asked Pierce for the information? Even that folder adds point to that'

Her rope of thoughts was cut with her mother's exclaim as she opened the album “Now; let us show you our past, dear”

“Yes” her father retorted “Let us show you the happy days”

\----------------------------------------

Harry stepped out of the ministry rather frustrated as he didn't find what he sought from the ministry library; 'What's the good of this library if we couldn't find what we want; for once I wish if I had a dark wizard ancestor, at least my family library would contain the answer' he sighed with apparent frustration because he knew that this is not the only reason he don't want to visit the Potter Estate; he didn't want to live alone in such empty and cold place.

_‘One day, that house will be filled with joy of children and grandchildren; it just has to wait until this matter is over and then maybe I will settle down and look for a suitable witch to be my wife’_ and the image of a certain bushy haired woman came to his mind “Or a muggle” he muttered.

_'Why do I feel so attracted to her; I don't even know her very well yet I feel like I have known her for ages_ he sighed as he cleared his mind; and went to catch up with the meeting of the order.

He reached Grimmauld place just before the dusk; when he entered he was greeted by a warm sight.

“Behold, Harry Potter” Fred exclaimed, “The hero of the Wizard World” George completed the sentence as always; and they shot a shower of fireworks out of their wands.

“Hey there mate; I told them you wouldn't like it but they insisted” Ron tried to apologize for his brothers' act.

“Don't worry Ron; I do miss them so much to be angry with them” Harry said as he patted on the twins' shoulders “How are you, you two?”

“Frankly” Fred said, “We are mad” George completed, “Furious” Fred ended.

“Why?” Harry asked in surprise; and Fred hit him lightly on the head “How dare you come to Diagon Alley without dropping by?” then George commented “You know that it is unacceptable”

“I'm sorry if I made you mad; but I was dealing with a business matter at Gringotts, and your shop was overcrowded; which reminds me …” Harry said; but was interrupted by a joyful squeal.

“Harry dear, at last you are here; I was growing worried” Molly hugged him tightly; and he saw that she was with her husband, Arthur Weasley, and her elder sons, Bill and Charlie.

“Harry my boy” Arthur said as he patted his shoulder “How are you doing? I heard from Ron that Flint is giving you quite a headache”

“I'm fine Uncle Arthur; and yes, Flint is proving to be quite a nuisance. I will go through the details during the meeting” then he turned serious “I was just about to say something; you are all needed to be at Gringotts tomorrow”

“And why is that?” Molly asked in curiosity.

“Because you need to sign some paperwork so I can officially announce you as new shareholders in Gringotts” said Harry with a grin; and the twins cried in delight while molly gaped at him.

“B-But how?” she said in disbelief; and Harry's grin widened as he answered her “Ragnok told me that he found quite a share of stocks that belonged to the death eaters; so I told him to liquidate it and sell half of it to the goblins while you left to buy the other half”

“O Harry” she hugged him tightly “You didn't need to do that”

“It is the least thing I could do to the family that embraced me, while the others rejected me; you are the only true family I have; and now I have the chance to be a true son, and help you regain your name in the Wizard World”

“O Harry” she said as she hugged him again even more tightly; and the twin teased her.

“Mum; if you hugged him more tightly” said Fred, “You will kill him instantly” continued George, “Before he'll have an heir” Fred said again “For his ever-growing business empire” George ended.

“Stop it you two; I'm beginning to develop a headache” Ron said while holding his head between his hands; and Harry laughed at the comment before remembering something else.

“Bill, you need to report to Ragnok tomorrow for some other matter …” he was interrupted by Bill's nod “I already did Harry; thank you for your trust”

“What is it now?” Ron said as he grew weary from this long, stand-up conversation.

“Harry just appointed me as his business representative” Bill announced; and Molly shrieked in joy “That is good news dear; and thank you again Harry”

“No problem. By the way, where is Ginny?” he said as he noticed her absence.

“She went to fetch Lavender” Ron said in apparent eagerness; and as soon as he finished his sentence, the door opened and the two females came in.

“Ron” the dark-blonde woman practically jumped at him and hugged him fiercely; and Ginny rolled her eyes.

“It's good to see you Lavender” Harry said after she let go of Ron; “It’s good to see you too Harry; I'm very happy that you are both still alive; especially Ron” she greeted back as she eyed the aforementioned red-hair dreamily.

Molly clapped her hands as she stated “Now only two members left; McGonagall and …” she didn't finish her sentence as McGonagall and a black clothed, greasy haired man stepped in.

“Evening everyone, and sorry for being late; we were too engrossed in work and didn't notice the time” McGonagall greeted them.

“Potter; I see that you made quite an entry as usual” the greasy haired man sneered at Harry; but he didn't heed the mockery as he greeted back “Good evening to you too Professor McGonagall … and Professor Snape”

Snape didn't say another word and paced toward the meeting hall. McGonagall ushered them to do the same; and they all entered the hall. The first thing happened was a flank attack which Harry sensed prematurely; he dodged the stunner that was aimed for him and swiftly leapt behind the attacker and twisted his wand arm behind him so he was covered by his wand.

“BANG, you're dead Mad-Eye” Harry said with a smile. And the ex-auror bellowed with laughter.

“That's good Potter; when Tonks here told me how extraordinary your reflexes became, I couldn't wait until I see it for myself; and by Merlin, she was right” Moody said as he rubbed the soreness in his arm.

“Constant vigilance Moody; you taught me that yourself” Harry said before both men seated.

The whole room went into stunning silence as they witnessed Harry in action; they never seen him in a fight after his mysterious disappearance two years ago. So after he pulled his stunt, they were all stunned save Ron, Tonks, Moody, and Minister Bones.

“Wotcher Harry; I see that you haven't rusted a bit” the pink haired witch greeted him lightly.

“Fine Tonks; how is work the Office?”

“Dull as usual” she said indifferently “I'm thinking of giving up the director position and return to the field; but I think it will take time until a suitable candidate is found. So, why don't you take it and save me the trouble, Harry?”

“In your dreams, Tonks” Harry said teasingly before turning his attention to the person beside her “Long time no see, Remus?”

Harry's voice pulled Remus out of his astonishment “How are you doing Harry; your newly found reflexes have stunned us”

Harry chuckled at the comment “thank you for your compliment; but sensei would've considered it a failure”

“Who's sensei?” Tonks asked in curiosity; but Harry didn't reveal more “I'll tell you in time”. He scanned the table and found that everyone was present except those who have been lost during and after the final battle; Ron, the Weasley twins Fred and George, Bill, Charlie, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ginny, Lavender Brown, Padma Patil who joined after her sister's death, Nymphadora Tonks, Remus Lupin, Alastor 'Mad-Eye' Moody, Minister Bones, Draco Malfoy, Professor Flitwick, Professor Snape, and the leader of the Order, Professor McGonagall.

“All right, silence everyone” McGonagall said in a commanding voice “First I want to congratulate each and every one of you for his/her contribution during the final battle; and I want especially to congratulate auror Harry Potter and his death trackers on their successful battle that led to You-Know-Who's demise”; Applause erupted and the twins cheered loudly.

“He's our legend” Fred shouted; “He's our man” George continued; “He can do everything” Fred said; “Which nobody can” George ended their usual mutual appraise.

McGonagall cleared her throat; and the silence fell again “Regretfully, there are still dangers lurking beneath; I already sent Hagrid and Madam Maxime to the giants land in order to suppress their danger diplomatically”; Harry now noticed the absence of his Half-giant friend and the headmistress of Beauxbatons; and McGonagall continued “Now, let's report the aftermath; starting with you, Severus”

The Potions Master stood up and spoke in is usual grim tone “The senior death eaters are in hiding due to the fear that Flint might find them and dispose of them; they are no longer a threat than a scattered flock of sheep without their shepherd”

“I agree with Professor Snape” Malfoy stated “and with the list I found in my father's possessions Gringotts can now track any funding source to the death eaters and liquidate it”

“That's a good news to hear; and what about the ministry itself” she looked at Minister Bones, who stood up “We are conducting a background search for every employee in the ministry so we can find if there was still any death eater sympathizer or anyone who is a death eater him/herself; we already found three in Wizengmot and presented them to trial”

“The aurors are patrolling every part of the British Isle and particularly the parts were we suspect of any dark arts practice to take place; like Noctorn Alley for instance; but we still found nothing” Tonks stated and sat down again.

“Okay, how about the situation in the werewolves society” McGonagall glanced at Lupin, who stood up and cleared his throat “After Fenrir's death, the werewolves appeared to be lost and scattered; they are not planning on attacking any humans in the mean time; and their threat is now down to minimum, they will only attack the forest dwellers”

“Good to hear that; now for the final report; the overseas situation” she looked at Harry, who stood up and began to speak calmly.

“I regrettably disagree with Malfoy and Professor Snape; the death eaters are still a threat overseas; and Flint is proving to be more than a mere nuisance. He is proving to be more a better tactician than his former master; and he has killed a sum of people who appeared to be death eater sympathizers or certain muggles”

“And what would he benefit from killing muggles?” Snape asked grimly.

“It appears that these muggles are criminals under the influence of a Columbian drug lord whom Flint, oddly enough, has allied himself with” Harry answered as he pulled out a document out of his pocket and shoved it towards McGonagall “Pueblo Martinez; also known as 'Muerte' which means 'Death' in Spanish; he is the kingpin of the Columbian cartel; an organized band of criminals whose main goal is to benefit from the drug business inside the United States of America; this business is quite profitable” then he looked at Malfoy “Which means that the death eaters have found a new source of funding”

Pregnant silence fell upon the group; before McGonagall break it “That is … Troubling news; so what are you going to do about it”

Harry answered calmly “We are currently monitoring their movements with the aid of the muggle police force there. But that is not the main problem; the death eaters has stolen a muggle device that is used to produce an electromagnetic force; I still don't know how will they benefit from that, but we are researching that; also he seemed to have stumbled upon an ancient unknown curse that I sent its parameters to Professor Malfoy here” he pointed at Malfoy “But I just learned its name; Explodia, the exploding curse”

Malfoy body tensed “Explodia! I heard about that curse, but I haven't thought that anybody could use it now because all the details about it has been lost”

“Well, it appears that Flint has found it; I tried to look for it in the restricted section in the ministry libraries both here and at the States; both with no avail; and my family's library contains no dark arts books; so our last hope will be the Black Library”

“Very well; and now for the most important matter” McGonagall said in a tone that drew the lot's attention “Considering the resent events; and due to my injuries I can no longer lead the Order; so we need to pick up a new leader”

“But, Minerva; there are no one here as experienced as you” Molly questioned in disapproval.

“You are wrong Molly; and this letter proves that” she flashed an envelope so everybody can see it; “It is a letter from Dumbledore I found it in a hidden drawer in the desk; it says that Dumbledore instates Harry as the new leader of the Order if he finished off V-Voldemort” she said the last name in a shaky voice “I have to get used to that bloody name. Anyway, he also trusted you with his precious Put-Outer and Fawkes the Phoenix” she pushed the device towards him “It's a pity that Fawkes has gone astray”

Harry accepted the Put-Outer graciously “Thank you Professor; as for Fawkes, I already found him … Fawkes” a burst of flame suddenly blazed in the middle of the table; and the magnificent bird appeared with a sheathed sword between its talons “Ah, thank you for bringing that” he stroked the bird's feathers in appreciation while everybody was in dumbfounded.

“Harry I-I'm astounded” Lupin said almost in a whisper; “How did you …”

“Find Him?” Harry interrupted “Well, that's a long story; to make it short I will say that I found him being taken care of by one of Professor Dumbledore old friends in Japan; he even remade Gryffindor's sword into this” and he unsheathed the sword and everybody was awestruck.

He handed the sword carefully to McGonagall; who examined it with amazement “It's obviously clear why Dumbledore wants you to lead the Order”

“I'm sorry Professor but I have to decline the position; I have too much at hand to be busied with another matter; I barely oversee my group of aurors; I couldn't manage two groups at once”

“Nonsense Harry” Ron exclaimed “I personally know that you manage the aurors very well; and being our secret keeper you are the best candidate to be our leader”

McGonagall stood up “To ultimately settle this matter we will cast a vote; anyone agrees with me about Harry being the new leader, please raise your wand” and everyone raised their wands; much to Harry's surprise; even Snape did so.

“You have proved your worth more than once, Potter, so don't make anymore fuss about it” Snape said in his usual cold tone.

“Now” McGonagall said as she stood up “Please assume your place Mr. Potter”; Harry sighed and did as he was told.

“Thank you everyone for your trust although I still think this is a matter of debate; but as Professor Snape said, I don't want to make a 'fuss' about it” Harry said casually “Now for our objectives; the main objective will be to ensure the safety of the people, Magical or not; the secondary objective is to stop whatever Flint is concocting. I will leave the safety of the subjects of the crown to you; me and the team of aurors will track down Flint and stop him. I also urge you to look for more people willing to give aid in our cause; I already found three, but I still want to examine them thoroughly” he looked at Ron with a significant look “And that concludes our business today; next meeting will be next month at the same day unless it is adjourned”

The Order members departed one by one; and Harry stopped Malfoy at the last minute “Malfoy, could I have a minute”

“Yes; Potter” he looked with interest “I need to tell you something; I found Pansy” he felt Malfoy's body tense as he said the name “I hope she was dead when you found her”; Harry felt the uneasiness hovering over the conversation “Actually, she is a live; and she was the one who told me about the curse … willingly”

Malfoy looked puzzled, and Harry continued “I accidentally tripped a sad memory in her mind; the memory of her daughter; your daughter” he said as he felt more uneasiness coming from Malfoy.

“I still don't understand why did she join them? They killed our daughter and she helps them to kill more innocents” Draco said with frustration; and Harry patted him on the shoulder “She told me that she joined them because she wanted to kill Flint by herself; and to punish herself”

Malfoy was shocked by the last revelation “But why?”; Harry answered calmly “Because she blame herself for not protecting her daughter”

Malfoy was thinking intensely; and Harry patted him again “I want you to be present at her trial tomorrow; she will need every emotional support she can have; she already has mine because I truly think she is innocent, but what I think she needs is her husband's”

Malfoy understood every word Harry has said; and decided to give it a thorough thought later “I will think about it, but right now I'm pretty occupied; and I assume that this is not the only reason you want to talk to me”

Harry smiled at the initiative “You are right; if you don't mind I want you to look for the exploding curse for me; I have other matters to tend to”

“No Problem, I was thinking of aiding you in the search anyway” Malfoy nodded; and Harry thanked him before he walked towards to the Weasleys with Fawkes on his shoulder.

“Harry, you were brilliant in there mate” Fred exclaimed, and his brother continued as usual “The phoenix looks brilliant too”

“Not to mention the sword of yours; brutal”

“You should've seen him use it; two death eaters were lying in a pool of their blood a second after he drew it out” Ron said in excitement; and the twins exclaimed in unison “Wicked”

Harry himself felt uncomfortable at the comment, so he retorted “As much as I like to finish the fight quickly, I still prefer to end it with as less gore as possible; so I only use the lethal methods as a last resort”

“Modest” Fred said nodding; “And powerful” George retorted; “Dumbledore's man through and through”

“Which I'm proud of” Harry said firmly “Anyway; I came now to remind you of your Gringotts tomorrow meeting; I hate to say another family beats you to it”

“Don't worry Harry; I will make sure that they will be present by the morning” Bill assured him; and he smiled “Okay; I'll trust with it then; now I beg your pardon, I have other matters to tend to” he greeted them before turning to the phoenix.

“Fawkes, I want you to look after Hermione for me; just keep in the shadows and don’t do anything unnecessary”; the phoenix with his usual song before disappearing in the flames.

“Who is Hermione, mate?” One of the twins asked; before Harry could answer Ron jumped in “I will tell you about her; I think Harry said he has some urgent business”

Harry looked at his best mate in appreciation before stepping out of the house.

\--------------------------------------------

“Hola”

“It's me” the caller said; then waited for the other side to respond.

“Talk” a firm voice came.

“It's Granger; she somehow stumbled upon a surveillance report of your hideouts”

“What hideouts?”

“Muerte's men hideouts, all of them; and it was that Potter who gave it to her”

“Really? He is proving to be so witty; a worthy adversary indeed” the firm voice said calmly; which surprised the caller.

“Aren't you going to do something? The FBI are going to attack as soon as their surveillance reports come” the caller asked in irritation.

“Well of course, and they will really be surprised with what they will find”

“And what is it?”

“You will find soon enough” and the firm voice hanged up.

\----------------------------------------

“Harry, good timing, we just found the key to the chamber and I was about to go and check the progress of the new portal; let me drop you at the chamber myself” Ragnok said merrily “I need to brush up my driving skill, anyway”

“Whatever you say Ragnok” Harry retorted with the same merry as they entered the wagon tunnel.

It took them half an hour to reach the chamber; and Harry was awestruck by the craft and skill that the door was made by. The body of the door was made of gold, and was inlaid by red rubies that were placed in a way that made a resemblance of a griffin; and two statues of hippogriffs were at each side of the door.

“Here you are Harry” Ragnok handed him a golden key with a ruby chiseled to resemble a Griffin “I will come back after an hour to see if you want to return or not”

“Thank you” Harry said before he walked toward the door he placed the key in the hole and it turn magically on its own causing the door to open up slowly revealing a long corridor. He carefully stepped in and the torches on both sides of the corridors lit up; he treaded carefully with his wand at the ready until he reached the end of the corridor and found another door which sprang open as soon as he got near it. He stepped in what appeared to be a meeting hall; it was far bigger than Hogwarts main hall, and it was lit by a giant lumos spell or appeared to be so.

“Welcome, Harry Potter” Harry jumped at the voice and pointed his wand at its source but was dumbfounded when he saw it “Remarkable reflexes; no wonder Voldemort marked you as his equal; it was as if he predicted that one day you will outdo him”

“Godric Gryffindor” Harry said in awe.

“Your humble ancestor” the ghost bowed slightly whilst smiling “Here in Gryffindor Chamber, you can meet the ghosts of the past from the beginning of the line of Gryffindor; among others. So, look who has come to see you”

“Harry my dear” a voice whispered calmly and Harry's jaw dropped.

“M-Mum; Dad” his eyes watered as his parents “How are you doing, son?” his father said joyfully.

“I'm fine, in fact; I wish that you have seen what I did” he said hastily.

“We know dear” his mother, lily, interrupted “And we are very proud of you” he can see her ghostly eyes glistening with tears.

“You have become powerful beyond words; the people consider you a legend; and their savior”

“I know” Harry said “But I already grew tired of such responsibility”

“It is too soon to feel disheartened Harry; your destiny is yet to be fulfilled” Lily said.

“Do you know about it too?”

“Of course we know; but we are not the better ones who can tell you about it” James said cryptically.

“Then who is …” Harry asked but he stopped middle way and his eyes widened as he saw the figure that appeared behind his father.

“Hello Harry” the ghost greeted calmly; but Harry was too surprised to greet back. All he could say was “You?”


	9. First Blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry is surprised to meet a person from the past. While Hermione is picking up the pace in her research regarding Harry's true identity and shares a tender family moment of her own before encountering an unexpected turn of events ...

"You?" Harry said breathlessly in a voice that matched his shocked expressions "Professor Dumbledore!!"

His mentor, or rather his specter, was standing there looking at him bearing a warm smile and the usual twinkle in his eyes; apparently death did not dampen his spirit "How are you doing, Harry?"

Harry’s shock prevented him from uttering a single word at first, he then managed to utter albeit in a hoarse voice "But … How can you be here; are you a descendant of Gryffindor?"

"I think you misunderstood the whole concept behind this chamber, Harry my boy" Gryffindor intervened "It is true that this place is called 'Gryffindor Chamber', but it is not limited by the blood line. Any person who is a Gryffindor at heart is allowed to dwell in here; as a ghost of course; which means …" he ended his explanation with a pointing finger; Harry looked at the location he pointed at, and his heart was filled with joy.

"Hi Harry"

"Neville, Seamus, Dean, Parvati, and … Luna?! Aren't you a Ravenclaw?" Harry exclaimed. And Gryffindor chuckled "Slow at first but quick to catch up, eh Dumbledore?” Dumbledore smile without a reply, and Gryffindor continued” “Miss Lovegood proved she has a Gryffindor soul by aiding you in your cause without hesitation"

"How are you Harry?" Luna asked him with a calm smile.

"I'm fine" Harry said sadly "I just miss the lot of you; I can't help but to blame myself for not being able to save you"

"Do not blame yourself Harry; it was Flint and his crooks who are, not you" Seamus said with his usual joyful tone “At least I went out in style” Harry smiled at the last sentence; Seamus has indeed proved to be a menace to the death eaters by using hexes and jinxes that matched his Irish temperament, and he went out with a bang, literally, taking a dozen of them with him.

"I swear to you, I will bring that bastard down" Harry clenched his fist tightly as he spoke “I will not forget our oath together”

"We know Harry; we all know that you are up to the task" Parvati said with a smile; and they all stood in sheer silence for a minute or so before Godric cough soundly.

"Now then" the owner of the camber said "Now that we are done with the pleasantries, I believe that you have some questions that need to be answered"

"Yes" Harry said hastily "I have some trouble finding Flint; he stole a muggle device for an unknown purpose"

"Alas Harry; we are as powerless as mortals when it comes to the future; you have to find the answer yourself" Dumbledore said apologetically.

Harry pouted in disappointment; but he remembered something else "Professor; have you heard of a curse called 'Explodia'?"

"A good finding indeed, Harry. Unfortunately, I do not know very much about the ancient curses; but a certain ancient swords master might have the answer" Dumbledore said the last words with his trademark twinkle. Harry looked confused at his; then the answer hit him "Tatsuya-sensei"

"Indeed" Dumbledore nodded in approval.

"So, I have to visit the village again; I needed to say hello after all; I haven't stopped by since I completed my training"

"Your training is far from completion; and your destiny in yet to be fulfilled; don't forget your ultimate objective" Gryffindor said in reminiscing tone.

"Ah, that soul mate matter; right" Harry said dully "As much as I like to do that, I still don't have any clue about it"

"The answer is before your eyes Harry; don't look too far" Dumbledore said with a twinkle; and an image of a certain bushy haired young woman kept nudging the back of his mind, he shook his head hard to force the image out and succeeded barely gaining a slight dizziness along the way. He then tried to shift the course of the conversation "Professor; I always wondered; why have you sacrificed yourself for me?"

Dumbledore smiled calmly as he answered "Harry my dear; you have to understand that my role has come to an end; and it is your time to assume the leadership of our people, you have guide them through the upcoming darkness"

"But I don't even know what will come" Harry exclaimed in confusion. And Dumbledore never changed from his clam grim "You will know Harry; soon you will know; and you will succeed"

"I had enough of the responsibility" Harry cried out of frustration. And he felt the warmth overcome him as his mother hovered her hand over him "It is your destiny Harry;            and always remember; you are not alone; we are always watching you"

"Thank you mother" he wanted to hug her; but sadly he remembered that she was a specter. He kept conversing with his friends and family until the time for Ragnok's return; he said his goodbyes and stepped out of the chamber only to find Ragnok waiting for him outside.

"Harry" the elder goblin beamed at him "I hope that I'm not late"

"Not at all; in fact, you are as punctual as you've always been" Harry answered with much calmness, and the goblin beamed even more then he took his seat and ushered Harry to do so.

"The portal is almost finished; they only need to test it now" Ragnok said as he launched the underground wagon "And you; have you found anything worth your while; precious things may be"

Harry answered absent-mindedly without looking at him "Many"

\---------------------------------

Hermione was lying on the bed leafing through a book before throwing it on the table in frustration "That's absurd, I can read the whole collection but sleep won't come; I shouldn't have taken that nap" but in her mind it was another matter; and she groaned at the revelation.

"Face it Hermione; you can't rest with a case left unfinished" she muttered, 'And persons un-researched'

She made up her mind so quickly, so she dresses quickly for an outing, and quietly stepped out of her room not forgetting to shoot a glance left and right to make sure the coast is clear, before tip-toeing toward the main door.

"Hermione!!" the voice made her jump upward at least a meter; she turned slowly and saw her mother holding a glass of water while looking at her in surprise "Where are you going?!"

"Out for a stroll …" Hermione answered looking anywhere but her mother's face.

"In this late hour?!" Emma said almost in scolding tone.

"I had a nap early this afternoon, so I couldn't sleep"

"You can find a hundred ways to get sleep at home rather than 'strolling' outside at this dangerous hour"

Hermione groaned loudly "Mum; I am a police detective; I have been into many dangers; what would an innocent stroll do to me"

"Who knows Hermione; who knows" Emma said calmly but firmly "Now, I know that this is not the true purpose of your midnight stroll"

"How can you be sure?" Hermione said stubbornly, but cowered when she saw an equal resolve in her mother's eyes "I know when you are bluffing Hermione; if your mother didn't know you well then who will; you never looked me in the eyes when you were talking"

Hermione sighed in surrender "Alright; I give up. I was going to the police station to research more on the case"

Emma looked victoriously at her daughter "I knew it; typical Hermione can't relax with work at hand" Hermione shot her an angered look; then Emma said seriously "So, what is the case?"

"Mum" Hermione said in irritated surprise "It is police business"

"That doesn't mean I can't help; I love to solve 'whodunit' mysteries"

Hermione surrendered for a second time "Okay; the FBI took command of the whole precinct and are acting to solve my previous case which they 'took over' ever so callously; so I was left with the only thing at hand, researching about Harry Potter"

Emma looked alerted "Harry Potter as in, Harry Potter who saved you" she asked cautiously and Hermione nodded in agreement "And why do you want to research about him?"

"Because" Hermione said stressing her words "He seems to know about us much more than we know about him"

"And you allied yourself with him" Her mother asked again with more tension "While knowing absolutely NOTHING about him"

"Yes" Hermione said feeling her mother's tension creeping under her skin.

"Are you mad? How can you trust someone you know nothing about?"

"I don't know; he came at a critical time and presented crucial information that might prove useful" Hermione answered defensively as she backed off.

"That is so un-Granger of you Hermione; my experience with life taught me to be wary of people who present me anything for free; it might be a snare to catch me and gain more from me"

"I AM researching him now as I said, but without good results. Do you believe that we found no record about him; no passport, no immigration application, not even a flight ticket?"

"See, how can you work with a mysterious person, even if he has saved you" her mother stated, then what Hermione said it her "Wait, you said that you found no flight ticket of him?" Hermione nodded "Then how …"

"He entered the country? I asked myself that and got one answer … Illegal immigration"

"I don't believe it, then why would he associate himself with the police; that would expose him for sure"

"I honestly don't know; but I found something interesting" Hermione said attracting her mother's attention "I found that he has shares in some companies here; but the details are unavailable"

"Have you checked with the one of the companies; they might give you some answers" Emma said calmly, and Hermione looked at her dumbfounded "Mum, you always amaze me with your straightforwardness"

"Straight way is the shortest way" Emma said chuckling "I can't believe that you forgot to do that"

"Well, my mind was a bit busy in the last few days; but now I'm all free to further investigate this case"

"Don't let me be in your way then; just be careful Hermione" Hermione nodded and walked out of the door.

\---------------------------------------

Ron groaned as a constant noise prevented him from sleeping and yelled angrily as he sat up "Who the bloody … Harry!" he exclaimed in surprise "What are you doing in this late hour" and he noticed that Harry was packing up "What happened"

"Ron listen; I need you to inform Malfoy to hand you any newfound information regarding the curse; I have to go somewhere before heading back to the states; any intelligence operations will be postponed until I return, just go ahead of me and I will catch up with you after I finish my urgent business; Okay?"

Ron was dumbfounded by Harry's firm and sudden revelation "Harry, I … Why are you leaving all of the sudden?"

"Because I think I can find an answer for the unknown curse at a certain place?"

"Where?" Ron asked eagerly as he jumped up; but was hit by a firm look from Harry "Not here mate; walls have ears; I will tell you when we meet again at the HQ"

Harry picked up his canvas backpack; and apparated directly from Ron's room to Diagon Alley; from where he apparated internationally bearing one image in his mind.

\--------------------------------------------

"Detective Granger" the night office greeted Hermione as she walked in through the main doors "I'm totally surprised"

"Hello Paul; I know that you don't have much visitors in this late hour; but bear me for an hour will ya" Hermione greeted back joyfully.

"Actually I am surprised because I just met the second visitor for the night" Paul explained as Hermione looked in surprise "Really! Who's the first then?"

"Detective McLaden; he preceded you by full ten minutes" Hermione was in utter surprise right now; but then she smiled "Good; two heads are better than one. Well, I'll leave you to your patrol then"; she nodded to him and when straight to the third floor. She walked through the empty desks towards the detectives' office and opened the door.

"Pierce" she exclaimed joyfully causing the young detective to jump in surprise; "Hermione; what are you doing here?"

"The same is said to you" she retorted while placing her hands on her hip "You go first"

He took a second to regain his composure before answering "As I told you yesterday" he looked at his watch "Yes, it is now yesterday; 1:10AM is considered tomorrow even if you didn't …"

"PIERCE!!" Hermione cut him angrily; and he backed off immediately "Alright girl; sheesh, you are no sport. Anyway, as I told you I went to baby-sit Sherry because Lydia went shopping; when Sherry's nap time was up I lolled her to sleep, but it was me who ended in a slumber"

Hermione giggled at him and he rolled his eyes "Yeah; laugh now, the scary part is not up yet"

"Why? What happened then?" Hermione urged him to continue; and he put a leg on the other "After slumbering for a while, a high-pitched scream woke me up and I ran to the source of the scream only to find Lydia holding on of my guns from the gun collection in the showcase"

"Why?" Hermione urged him more; and he shrugged his shoulders "She told me that she found the gun in the hands of Sherry"; Hermione clapped her hand on her mouth "My God"

"Don't worry; I always check my gun collection to make sure that no gun was left loaded; but what annoys me is that all the guns in the showcase are bolted firmly to the wall; so there is no way in hell that one of the guns would fall off"

"Maybe; no one is perfect" Hermione said as she took her turn to shrug her shoulders "Anyway; what has Lydia done then?"

"She Lectured me on how I should keep my guns well-secured or next time we won't be so lucky; I remained alert since then and couldn’t get back to sleep even when the clock struck midnight; so I decided to come here and resume the search of the old cases"

"Not the old cases, Pierce; we have more important business; Harry Potter" Hermione said firmly and Pierce groaned "Hermione, I thought were over it; we found nothing about him"

"My mother 'enlightened' me about a certain source of information we have neglected" she said coolly

"And what is it?" Pierce asked leaning to the front; and Hermione answered in excitement "The companies he has shares within"

"Hermione; that's a good lead and might get us loads of fundamental information; but …" Pierce had a despondent look on his face "You still need a warrant to get what you want, and guess who you need to ask"

Hermione frowned and said nothing although she knew who does he mean; she waved her hand and turned toward her desk "I will ask him tomorrow; in the mean time we have to review the list of the companies and choose the most convenient one … So, where is it?"

She didn't hear him answer "Pierce …" she demanded again, but stopped as she so him looking intently at his screen "What is it?"

"Someone is trying to hack into the police department system" he answered "In fact; he is now IN the system"

"What?" Hermione exclaimed and paced toward Pierce desk "Who is he?"

"I don't know; but he has balls, nobody would hack into a system full of monitors unless he has the guts to do it, and a pressing issue" Pierce answered as his magical hands began to work on the keyboard "Let's see what he wants"

He opened the log file and began to read it "Weird; he went straight to the archive. And look what he is taking, a copy of the old cases we collected"

"Can you pinpoint the bastard?"

"Let's give it a try" he said as he opened a certain program "Well, well; we got a bouncer; true professional"

"What does it mean?" Hermione asked in confusion; and pierce didn't answer "Damn; he logged off; and he didn't forget to delete his logs; what a smart mother-"

"PIERCE!! Please don't continue; and tell me what the bloody hell has just happened" Hermione yelled at him with impatience; he turned off his screen and turned his attention to her "Simply we got hacked by a professional hacker; not to mention he was a bouncer too; he sliced in; got his purpose, and logged off not forgetting to delete his logs"

Hermione felt dizzy at the explanation "Pierce, if you please; can you explain it again without the fancy computer terminology?"; the ex-hacker sighed patiently before he explained again in layman’s terms "Look Hermione; the new hackers usually access a distant computer using many programs that help in covering their tracks; but the sheer number of programs needed may also slow the process of hacking"

"Unlike the culprit here" Hermione retorted; and Pierce nodded in approval "Exactly; the professional hackers; like this culprit; access the designated target computer without the aid of many programs; instead he access many public servers as he could before attacking the main target" he pointed a finger in conclusion "And that is called bouncing"

Hermione understood every word he has said, but many questions have formed instead "Wouldn't the lack of security put him in risk of discovery?"

"Good question" Pierce nodded "The answer is yes; he can be discovered easily; but what distinguishes newbies from professionals is the speed of execution. Freshmen use security programs to make up for their slow entry; professionals, on the other hand, have the speed and guts to hack with swiftness and without being encumbered with needless softwares; in and out in a flick, and no one will know what hit 'em"

"Wicked" Hermione whispered "But that means we will never catch that wanker"

"On the contrary; you see, when I was a hacker I used to be an elite bouncer; and with the constant use of this hacking method I revealed a major flaw. You can hack swiftly, yes; but your computer is still unprotected and can be hit with certain viruses; like the Trojan Horses"

"I heard about these viruses; nasty ones indeed" Hermione remarked.

"Well; mine is the nastiest one you'll ever encounter; I developed it after exposing the flaw but still hadn't got around to test it yet; maybe next time when this bouncer hit again"

"Alright; now let's go down to business shall we" Hermione stated while picking up the list of companies.

\----------------------------------------

"Okinawa" Harry muttered "Long time no see" he waded through the never-ending waves of muggles; and thanked God for being accustomed to muggle clothing; walking around here while wearing wizard robes would definitely attract attention. He reached Matsurumi village by dawn and walked along the trail that leads to Tatsuya's dwelling.

"Sensei" Harry called from out of the house, but received no answer. He slowly unsheathed his sword and stepped in carefully.

"Sensei" he called almost in a whisper; suddenly he felt a tingle in the back of his head, he lifted his sword seconds before another one came out of the shadows; and the two swords clashed.

"Very good Harry-kun; very good indeed" Tatsuya said in a content voice as he came out of the shadows "But you are still a little bit slow"

"Sensei" Harry greeted his master with a half bow "I came here on an urgent business; it is about …"

"A curse you encountered; I know" the old seer interrupted him with a smile "Alas, I don't know much about it"

Harry frowned at the knowledge, and his sensei grin widened "That doesn't mean your venture to here was in vain; you still have one resource left"

"What is it sir?" Harry blurted; and Tatsuya looked at him with a hint of reprimand "The Sacred Library of course; luckily enough, my family collected even the darkest book in the dark arts; so maybe you can find your curse here" he said the last statement as he walked toward the secret passageway

They ventured through the ancient catacombs where only the vermin live now; Harry shivered as he eyed the old scattered bones and skulls "No matter how many times I venture through this place; it still causes me to quiver with fear"

"It is the unknown you fear Harry; not the ashes and dust; these bones reminds you of the afterlife; a stage we all will pass sooner or later" Tatsuya said as they reached the rusted gates of the library and stopped in front of one of two dragon statues "Take your position, Harry-kun"; Harry did as he was ordered and went over to the opposite side of the door in front of one of the dragons; they both placed their hands on their respective dragon statues and pushed down firmly; the dragons moved down with fluency; and the gates rumbled as they opened slowly.

"When I pass away; you will be the only one who knows about the library; however, you will not be able to open the gates by yourself only; you have to look for a trustworthy person whom you can confide this treasure to, only those whom you chose will be able to access the library. It is like the fidelius charm but stronger and somewhat different in concept"

"Very well, sensei; I will keep that in mind" Harry bowed with respect; and Tatsuya smiled in fatherly manner "Now; why don't we begin our research on your curse?"

\---------------------------------------

"Blue team standing by"

"Red team standing by"

Johnson received the call in the police surveillance van not far away from the action site. He turned on the mic after he heard the confirmation "This is gold leader; keep on hold, element"

"Roger" both teams replied.

He then pushed the mic button again "Eagle team; can you confirm visual?"

"Negative; no visual on suspect" the indicated team responded. And then he turned to our protagonist detectives and said in a cocky voice "Here, ladies and gentlemen, we will make history"

"Make sure you don't become one yourself" Pierce retorted with his usual irony, and Johnson snapped in fury "I'll show you the true application of tactics, joker"; and Pierce retorted with a short laugh "I never knew you were a tactician, Montgomery"; Johnson snorted but never replied.

The only one who was not participating in the quarrel was Hermione; her eyes was on the monitors showing the hideout via cameras pre-placed by the FBI surveillance team; there was no sign of movement inside or outside the hideout which made her more doubtful about Harry's intelligence; _'Is it true that you are not trustworthy, Harry?'_ she thought to herself as she recalled her conversation with her mother _'Have I been too trusty?'_ she was pulled out of her thoughts  by the voice a one of the team leaders.

"This is Eagle team; we have visual; appears to be a black-hooded suspect walking slowly"; she felt a throb hitting her heart as she heard the description _'It's them'_

"Roger; Gold team, storm the designated entry" Johnson exclaimed through the walky-talky. And tugged his sleeve hard "Pull the men out, now"

He shoved her hand roughly "Stop tugging my suit; and don't forget that this case is no longer of your concern; I am giving the orders now"

She shook her head violently before replying "You don't understand, these are not Muerte's men; the are the death eaters"

"What 'death eaters'? Is it another crap that Potter told you?"

"Listen to her tough guy; those are the ones we encountered just before you came with your rangers; with my humble experience, I say that no one can stand against them; so your chance against them is slim to none" Pierce remarked in a mix of seriousness and scoff. Johnson couldn't stand anymore of this and exploded angrily "This is my case!! If you didn't like it then bang your head on the wall!!"

As soon as he finished his sentence, a horrifying scream came out of the speaker followed by the sound of gunfire and other screams, before everything went off. Johnson looked worried as he pushed the speak button "Gold team report in …" but no answer came "Gold team confirm your status …" still no answer.

"Great; now you've lost us some good men; what a great tactician" Pierce remarked in a mix of scold and sarcasm before shooting out of the van with his gun un-holstered; and Hermione followed him without a word spoken; but her mind was twirling with thoughts.

"Why do you always mix sarcasm with seriousness even in the gravest situations, Pierce?" Hermione said without looking at him as they walked toward the hideout.

"Believe me when I say, I did that for Johnson's sake; if I didn't, I might be punching the lights out of him right now for wasting our men for nothing"

"He's a true idiot; I told him to pull them back; those death eaters are not some common thugs; and our first encounter with them proves it" Hermione stated

"It's a second encounter now; and we know what we will face, and ready for it"

When they reached the hideout; they stormed the place without looking back only to see a black hooded figure disappearing with a crack. They stood looking eye-widened at the void space the black hooded figure used to occupy.

"D-Did you see what I just saw?" Hermione finally spoke in a shaky tone.

"If you hadn't said anything I would've thought I was dreaming" Pierce retorted in similar shock "Has that guy just disappeared?"

She stepped forward carefully and stretched her arm toward the void space as if trying to catch anything "Impossible, no body disappears just like that" she exclaimed breathlessly; then glanced into the next room and her eyes widened "Pierce, come quick"

She paced inside the room and Pierce followed her "Good Lord …" he said in a hoarse voice as he saw the massacre inside. All the attack force team members where dead; the murder was either by decapitation or body explosion like the victims they saw.

"So, there were no thugs at all" Pierce said as he examined the body of the nearest cop; and Hermione shook her head "On the contrary, look there"; she pointed at the far end of the room, and he saw a dozen of bodies laying on the floor in a shape similar to that of the attack force.

"I dare to presume that they are our main objective" Hermione said calmly as she stepped toward the bodies followed by the flabbergasted Pierce. She turned the first body she reached only to be finding a mutilated face wearing a fierce image of pain and suffering; she backed off quickly almost losing her balance.

"Disgusting" Pierce remarked with disgust expressions "Who would be that sick; mutilating the bodies; that is inhumane"

"And I thought Muerte was the cruelest; but those death eaters took the cake" Hermione as she took deep breaths to prevent herself from throwing up; and Pierce looked at her with astonishment "You think they are the ones who killed those thugs? Aren't they allies? Why did they do such thing?"

"To lure us in" Hermione said absentmindedly; and Pierce looked at her with confusion "This is not the right time or place to reveal any theories, when we return to the precinct I will tell you everything; I can summarize the whole theory in two words" she looked at him firmly before resuming "Harry Potter"

\-------------------------------------

"I told you Malfoy" Ron said with total lack of patience "Harry instructed me to pick up any information regarding the exploding curse, and you are not helping with it"

"And I told you not yet" Malfoy said in with usual coldness "I will not hand out incomplete information; Potter would've understood, but you seem to be too thick to do so"

Ron's head teamed with fury "Too thick!! You …" he pointed an angry finger before exhaling loudly and controlling his anger "Very well; I will wait, but it has better be ready by the end of the day"

Malfoy shook his head in disbelief "I know that you are thick; but that is beyond limit. Haven't you learned anything about spell research; it will take some time to complete the spell sequence and incantation; as for this curse, it will take a lot due to the lack of vital information"

Ron clenched his fist and it took a lot of self-control from him to prevent himself from punching Malfoy's face hard "I understand" he said dryly "Still, I will wait for the results; as Harry told me"

"Whatever" Malfoy said then headed toward the laboratory.

\-------------------------------------

Hermione walked out of Maronski's office totally stunned; her request for a warrant regarding questioning Harry's companies was met with an unusual acceptance. She entered her office quietly and Pierce asked her in curiosity "What's up Herms?"

"Something unusual has just happened" she said absentmindedly; and Pierce replied with his usual humor "What? Johnson proposed to you?"

"That is not funny, Pierce" Hermione retorted in disgust as the image crept into her mind; and Pierce bellowed with laughter "I know; but if I said that about a certain PI you won't be happy either; because you will be blushing"

"Hey" Hermione exclaimed as the blush crept to her cheeks; and the image of her and Harry together made her even blush harder.

"Anyway" she said while trying to fight the blush "The unusual thing is this" she handed his the warrant "An open warrant for searching anywhere for any information regarding Harry Potter"

"Hermione, I'm astonished" Pierce said "How did you get it that easily; I didn't hear the voice of Maronski reaching the office as usual"

"That's what I called the unusual; he was so helping this time; I think this is because we lost so many men during the assault; I saw him argue with Johnson about that before handing me the warrant in front of him; maybe he wanted to infuriate him as a pay back"

She shrugged before replying "Maybe; but we got what we wanted whatever the case was; and now I can verify my theory"

"By the way; you haven't told me about your theory yet; you said it would involve Harry Potter" Pierce stated; and she sat calmly on her seat "Okay; but listen carefully because I will not repeat it again as we don't have much time and we have to finish our investigation before his return"

Pierce paid full attention as she began to review the theory "Since the beginning of this case I noticed that there was no crime that involves both party members; each party execute its own crime with no of the other; Muerte's men have their own acts including my assassination attempt; but the major sum was by those cult, the death eaters; they killed; robbed; and terrified the people in several places; and with weapons we never heard of; I processed all that and came with one answer"

"And what is it?" Pierce was asked in interest

"Power struggle" she answered casually "These is a hint of power struggle amid the crime lords; the old and new ones; and when I say crime lords I mean Muerte and that newcomer Flint. Flint seems to be more cruel and savage than Muerte which might help him make a name in the LA underworld, and his exploits prove that; Muerte, on the other hand, fears that the newcomer might dare to challenge him on the leadership of the cartel even if he was not Columbian; so he tries to prove his eligibility for the Cartel throne by attempting to assassinate me; the police detective who brought him to custody a year ago"

"But, aren't they allies?" Pierce asked again in confusion; and she answered "Allies, yes; friends, no; their alliance is just a cover to the cold war between them"

He tried to digest every word he heard; and a question erupted "And where does Harry Potter fit in that remarkable theory?"

"Yes; Harry Potter, an unknown private investigator who suddenly appears out of nowhere bringing forth much needed information in a crucial time; and he persist on obscuring his so-called resources. All what I want to do is to reveal more about him so we can work together more properly; although the last piece of information prove to be useless"

"And fatal …" Pierce remarked "I can swear that they were waiting for us"

"They also used the thugs as a bait before disposing them, which adds credibility to my theory; normal allies don't kill each other"

"You're right once again Herms" Pierce said in approval with rubbing his hands in excitement "OK; count me in; what can I help you with?"

Hermione paced toward him with the warrant "I want you to copy this warrant so you can check half the list of the companies while I check the other half; and don't ignore any meager information because it might prove useful in the future"

"Got it" Pierce nodded "Let's begin the hunt" and they both left the office.

\------------------------------------

"Hola"

"It's me" the usual caller said before hearing the phone handed to someone else.

"Talk" the firm voice said

"Detective Granger has been handed a search warrant regarding information about Harry Potter as you have predicted"

"Great; now all what she needs is some … Motivation" the firm voice said in a calm tone which surprised the caller.

"What would you benefit from that?"

"Not on the phone" the firm voice said "But I can say it will create a desirable distraction"

"Just a distraction?!" the caller exclaimed

"The other benefit will reveal itself soon" the firm voice said cryptically before hanging up as usual.

\-------------------------------------

Harry and Tatsuya remained at the Sacred Library until noon; and found nothing. Rubbed his eyelids in pain before mumbling in frustration "We've wasted a whole morning for nothing"

"It was not a waste; we knew that we were looking in the wrong direction" Tatsuya replied without removing his eye from the book he is holding.

"But how can we know the right direction?" Harry replied with his usual hot temper, earning him a scolding glare from his master "Watch your manners, Harry-kun, when you are addressing your sensei"

Harry noticed his improper tone and apologized immediately "Forgive me, sensei; I'm a bit frustrated due to our slow progress while Flint, on the other hand, is acting swiftly and precisely. I don't want any innocent suffer by his hands anymore"

Tatsuya smile in a fatherly manner "I know how are you feeling; you are a hero and a natural leader; I would be surprised if you didn't fell so" then he leaned forward with a serious face "By the way; you haven't describe the curse to me yet"

Harry looked in surprise at his sensei "I thought you told me you knew about it"

"I knew _it_ but not about it; I am a sage not a warlock" the old swordsman explained "So tell me what it looks like"

Harry straightened out his spectacles before speaking "Actually; I got nothing but scraps. Flint is too cautious and he instructed his death eaters to erase any trace of that spell every time they use it"; Harry dragged his backpack before continuing "However; our latest encounter with them gave them no time to erase anything, and we came up with this" he pulled out a copy of the curse parameters Sofia wrote down "I never came across a curse with such spell patterns"

"Indeed" Tatsuya retorted as he examined the file "I know each and every spell pattern that has been discovered post Hogwarts; but this curse match none"

"What does that mean" Harry questioned in confusion.

"It means that we were indeed looking in the wrong direction; we have to look into older books deep inside the library" the old sage answered before rubbing his forehead "But now we seem to be rather weary; I suggest that we rest a bit before continuing our search"

Harry rubbed his eyelids and replied "you are right sensei; I feel drained and my eyes are hurting me; I never felt that exhausted since the last time is forced my aura; which reminds me" Harry said as he remembered "It appears that my aura is proving to be an encumber more that a benefit; last time I used it was during an interrogation, and it took me a lot of strength to sustain it"

"That is because you haven't performed any training that could up your endurance, Harry-kun; and you have to get rid of these glasses too; they are also showing quite a disadvantage in battle"

"I can always place a sticking charm on it" Harry blurted

"An your enemy could use a counter charm" Tatsuya stated "But that is not our concern right now; we have to concentrate on the task at hand"

"Very well, sensei" Harry nodded and they both stepped out of the library gates"

\-----------------------------------

"That's it" Hermione mumbled "My final destination; I hope they are not as 'Friendly' as they previous ones"

She walked in through the main gates of the company only to be met with a glare from the security guard at the entrance counter.

"May I help you miss?" the security guard asked suspiciously.

"Detective Granger, LAPD; I have a few questions regarding one of your shareholders" Hermione answered flashing her badge.

"If you have the proper papers; I may direct you to someone who can help you" the guard said politely but firmly.

"I think this warrant is sufficient" Hermione retorted pulling out the warrant; the guard scanned it quickly before handing it back "This way" he ushered her toward the elevator and exclaimed at a distant guard before following her "Mark; cover my place for a minute, will ya'"

They reached the highest level which Hermione presumed it was the management office level; they walked forward a bit before reaching a lobby "This is main lobby in the management level; and this is the guide counter" the guard said and he pointed at a nearby counter "they will help you through your investigation"

"Thank you" Hermione thanked the guard, who nodded before turning back toward the elevator hall; she walked calmed toward the guide counter and greeted the employee in charge.

"Good afternoon I am detective Granger from LAPD, and I have a few questions regarding one of your shareholders"

"First; do you have a proper warrant to conduct such investigation?" the employee said, and Hermione showed her the warrant; "This way please" she walked her toward a nearby office and knocked the door before entering.

"Hi Sarah" the employee greeted another woman.

"What is it Mary" the woman said firmly.

"An LAPD detective here wants some questions to the manager; she got all the proper papers"

"I'm afraid you have to wait detective; because the CEO, who has enclosed all the information about the shareholders is in the middle of a meeting"

"I can wait" Hermione said rapidly.

"Then I will return to my post" Mary said before exiting

"Please, have a seat" Sarah pointed her at a chair in front of her "I'm Sarah Springfield; chief secretary of Malcolm Export Co." she offered her a hand

"Hermione Granger; police detective" Hermione accepted her hand graciously thanking God for the warm welcome.

"Care for a drink; detective?"

"A cup of tea will be welcomed"

Sarah nodded and pressed the intercom "Eddie, a cup of tea if you please" then turned back to Hermione "So, what brings a police detective to our humble company? I hope no one has committed a felony"

"Not at all; in fact one of your shareholders has helped us in one of our cases; and we wanted to collect some information regarding him; that's all"

Sarah raised an eyebrow in understanding "I see … Ironically, the CEO's meeting is with the shareholders themselves"

"Really?! Then Harry Potter is here" Hermione said excitedly; causing Sarah to shoot up "Harry Potter! Did you say Harry Potter?!"

"Yes" said Hermione cautiously "Anything you know about him?"

"I was gonna ask you the same question; we were trying to contact him ever since he bought the shares off the stock market saving the company from liquidation; and his direction helped us greatly in boosting the companies figures up to the beak"

"So, you are telling me that he is an effective shareholder" Hermione said slowly.

"An effective MAJOR shareholder" Sarah corrected "He holds more than 80% of the company's shares"

Hermione's jaw dropped at the revelation "Y-You say 80%; then why is he working as a private investigator?"

"PI?! Are you sure we are talking about the same Harry Potter?" Sarah said in confusion.

"I'm not sure; but let me describe him anyway; he is a young male in the middle of 20's; unruly raven hair; emerald green eyes …"; but Sarah interrupted her "No need to describe him as no one here has every saw him in person"

"But you said he bought the company's shares" Hermione said in confusion; and Sarah replied immediately "Via an agent, that is. But I'm not in place of telling you anything else; only the CEO knows the full details; I'm but a poor ol' secretary"

Hermione laughed at the last remark and no other word was exchanged between the two women. Finally, after a slow hour, the meeting ended.

"You can enter now detective" Sarah pointed her at the office door; she thanked the secretary and knocked the door before entering.

"Yes?" a chubby man in the middle of his forties said firmly.

"I am detective Hermione Granger, sir; I have a few questions regarding your major shareholder"

"You mean Mr. Potter" the CEO said in surprise "I'm afraid I only have very little information about him" then he remembered that they were standing "How silly of me; please have a seat. I am Edward Peterson; CEO of the ever-flourishing Malcolm Export Co.; thanks to Mr. Potter himself and his crucial instructions"

"So you have seen him; why then did Miss Springfield say that no one saw him?"

"I never said I have seen him; I said that his funds and instructions led our company to flourishing"

"How do you receive his instructions, then?" Hermione demanded.

"By mail" Peterson said simply "And they contain no return address if that came to your mind"

"How did you accept the help of a person you barely know about" Hermione asked in frustration.

"When your company is on the brink of bankruptcy; you ask for money; not details" Peterson answered calmly; and Hermione matched this situation to hers.

"I understand your point of view" she retorted "Can I request something? I need to obtain one of the instruction letters he sent to you"

"You can have them all; we have copied every word of it in our policy book" the CEO said as he pulled out a bundle of papers and handed it to her.

"Thank you" she said before ending the investigation and exiting the building holding her newfound evidence very tightly.

"I hope Pierce has same luck as I do"

\----------------------------------

"Well; I'm not" Pierce exclaimed in frustration "And I consider you very lucky that the security got you inside; I barely have a word with them and almost got into a fist fight with one of them"

"Don't be angry; at least we got some evidence" Hermione said "Which we need to send to the analysis laboratory"

"It will take some time for them to get anything useful out of it; so let's call it a day"

"Okay; just don't forget to bring your computer virus tonight in order to catch that hacker" Hermione reminded him; and he slapped his forehead "I totally forgot about that bouncer. Alright; I will be here at the same time as yesterday" and both of them walked out with a pair of eyes following then "Tonight then"

\-----------------------------------

"So; they are gathering tonight" Flint said in amusement "I don't know what goaded them to do that, but it is a heavenly chance that we must utilize to the maximum"

"What should we do; my lord" Nott asked in his usual grim tone; and Flint wave his hand "Proceed with our plan; and make sure to leave witnesses; we don't want them to associate the 'accident' with an anonymous person"

"Aye; my lord" Nott bowed to him before apparating; and a sly smile played on Flint's lips "I wager it will be so amusing to observe" and he laughed evilly.

\-----------------------------------

"Mum, Dad; I'm home" Hermione exclaimed as she stepped into the flat. She went straight to the kitchen only to find her mother cooking dinner.

"Mum; what are you doing?" she looked at the food being prepared "And where did you get all that from?"

"Your father and I took the liberty of filling your refrigerator with REAL food" Emma said casually stressing the word 'real' as she spoke "Come and give me a hand"

"Mum" Hermione groaned "I have just come from work and feel so exhausted; and you know that I do not like to cook"

"You have to learn how to do house chores young woman" her mother said firmly "Or else you will not find a husband"

"And what would I benefit from that?" Hermione said stubbornly.

"Because …" Emma said impatiently "Even if you are a working woman, no reward will amount to the look of satisfaction on your husband’s face"

Hermione seemed to analyze every word her mother said; then she spoke suddenly "Mum …"

"Yes, dear"

"I might not be a teenager anymore, but I seem to receive a lot of mixed signals every now and then. How will I know which is genuine and which is not?" she asked the question that twirled in her mind for years.

"When the time comes, Hermione; you will know. Your heart will guide you"

"But my heart can fool me sometimes" she said; and her mother nodded "Yes; that can happen in the beginning when you cannot read your heart correctly. Your husband is the man whom you share the same interests and thoughts with; a man whom you can read his desires before he speaks them" she then looked at her daughter with a significant look "A man who never think twice about sacrificing himself to save you"

Hermione understood what her mother meant, and a blush crept to her cheeks "Mum; you told me not to trust unknown strangers"

"Don't trust them, yes; but that doesn't mean you can't fancy them" Emma retorted "Now, let me finish your father's dinner"

They heard a commotion coming from the guest bedroom before Dan came out of it "Emma; is the dinner ready yet? I am too hungry"

"Right away dear; I just finished your favorite vegetable stew" Emma voiced casually; and was rewarded with kiss on the cheek "You are truly a mind reader"

Emma beamed happily and gave her daughter an 'I told you' glance; and Hermione seemed to begin to grasp the true meaning of the married life … Understanding.

After the dinner; Hermione sat in the living room with her parents reviewing the memory album; she never laughed very hard in her life like she did in those two hours.

"I am telling you" Dan said irritably "I should've won that bet; only if that git hasn't cheated"

"Tom did not cheat, dear" Emma retorted "It is just because you are a sour loser"

"Who in the world can drink ten bottles in a row without even feeling dizzy?" he snapped

"It is called endurance, dear; which, unfortunately; you didn't have"

"Who are you siding with Emma" Dan exclaimed with a hint of anger "Me or Tom?"

“Well, it is obvious …” Emma said as she rested her head on her husband's shoulder. "I married you" And Hermione was amazed by the amount of love and affection they show to each other

_'I hope I'll be as lucky as them'_ she said to herself.

\------------------------------------

Time passed quickly for Pierce; who was having some luxury time with his family. He looked at his watch and cursed loudly.

"Damn; I will barely catch up with him right now" he stood up quickly and paced toward the bedroom.

"What is it darling?" Lydia inquired while cuddling their daughter; and Pierce answered from behind the door "Me and Hermione have some work to do tonight; we have a hacker to catch"

"Pierce" she scolded "I thought you gave up that thing"

"I did dear …" he came out of the room fully dressed "But that doesn’t mean I allow that other hackers to wreck our servers; see ya'" he kissed his wife and daughter goodbye; and stormed out of the house not noticing the disk that has fallen out of his pocket.

"Honey; you dropped something" Lydia picked up the disk and tried to catch up with him; but she heard the screech of tyres as he took off. She stood looking at the empty space idly before shrugging "Hasty and clumsy; and lovely. I have to hurry behind him and hand it to him, as always"

Sherry yawned deeply and her mother cuddled her "Sorry sweetheart; it is another night at the Burtons'; I have to bring this thing to our father"

She walked toward the bedroom "Not to mention another surprise"

\-----------------------------------

"Detective Granger?! Two nights in a row?!" Paul exclaimed in surprise "Is it another tough case?"

"Something like that" Hermione said as she paced toward the elevator "Wish me luck". She reached the third flour and went straight to her office only to find that Pierce has not come yet.

"Pierce; what on Earth are you doing? That hacker will flee again" as she finished her statement; the doors burst open and Pierce came in.

"Sorry I'm late" he greeted breathlessly "I forgot myself in a happy family moment"

"You could've turned on the alarm" Hermione said irritable "No matter; we are here; and that hacker is not"

"I would like to say the same thing …" Pierce retorted as he hit the keys of the keyboard "But he's here"

"Quick; use your virus" Hermione commanded; he nodded excitedly and searched his pockets; but found nothing "Shit; where is it?"

"Pierce …" Hermione yelled at him as her body tensed "Quickly; I think he is leaving"

"Damn" Pierce cursed "I think I've dropped it somewhere" he said as he eyed the screen helplessly; and Hermione sighed in frustration and barely prevented herself from strangling her partner.

"Honestly" she yelled at him "How can you be that stupid?"; he banged the table in anger "That's not the point" he said "The problem is I haven't had the time to copy this virus; and now I've lost it … Permanently"

"Stupid" she mumbled; and he didn't commented. He began to hit the keys as swiftly as usual "At least I can try some old tricks"

He tried to intercept the bounce; but it was all in vain as the hacker was alerted to the interception attempts, and logged out immediately "Damn" Pierce banged the keyboard in anger.

"At least you tried" Hermione patted him on the back; and they both stood looking at the screen idly for a minute before Hermione spoke.

"What are we going to do if he came again?"

Pierce looked a bit depressed as he answered "I don't know. But what I know is that programming another effective Trojan horse will take quite some time from me; and that bouncer will not be here forever" as he finished his statement; footsteps could be heard outside in the hall.

"Somebody is out there" Pierce said as his body tensed; and Hermione tiptoed toward the door "The sound is getting nearer" she whispered.

"Better be ready" he un- holstered his gun and nodded to her; she grabbed the door handle and waited for the person to near.

"Now" Pierce exclaimed at her and she quickly opened the door; he pointed his at the comer.

"Eeeeeeeeep" Lydia screamed when she saw the gun pointed at her; and Pierce prevented himself from shooting at the last moment.

"Shit; Lydia" he paced toward her and pulled her out of the room "I was about to shoot you; what are you doing here?"

"Is that how you thank me?" she snapped at him barely shaking from the near mishap "I brought you this" she handed him the disk; and he hugged her fiercely "I love you; do you know that; you saved my day"

"Like always Pierce" she smiled at his emotional break "And are as clumsy as ever"

"Ahem" Hermione cleared her throat nervously "As much as I hate to interrupt this 'intimate' moment, I think we can return to our homes empty-handed this night"

"Yeah" Pierce said calmly before addressing his wife "I wish you were a bit early honey so we can catch that bouncer; but I admit that not losing this disk is fortunate enough. So, let's call it a night"

"Not yet" a cold but familiar voice came from the far shadows; and a person stepped into the light leisurely.

"Harry" Hermione exclaimed happily "When did you return?"

"I was here all the time Granger" Harry replied with unusual sneer "Watching you taking the bait foolishly"

"What are you talking about Potter?" Pierce inquired in confusion protectively hugging his wife for no apparent reason "What bait?"

Harry laughed evilly as he answered "You can say it’s a series of baits that you followed with your utter muggle foolishness; which lured you here; right where I wanted you to be"

"I don't understand" Pierce said with more confusion; but Hermione, being highly intelligent, understood everything.

"You" she said in sheer fury "You lured us to a trap; the hideouts were nothing more than a dirty trap"

"Aren't you the clever one luv" Harry sneered at her rage "It is a shame that you are a muggle"

"What muggle? What's goin' on?" Pierce yelled at both of them; and Hermione explained not removing her eyes from Harry "Do you remember the folder he brought, Pierce? When he said it was from his 'good resources'?" she stood silent for a second before resuming "Those so-called resources were Muerte and the death eaters; it was a bait"

"What?" Pierce said in astonishment; and his wife clung onto him with fear as Harry laughed again pulling out his wand "I told you Granger; you are the brightest muggle I ever met; unfortunately, you will not live to tell the tale … _Crucio_ "

Pierce screamed as hell when the curse hit him; and his wife shrieked when she saw her husband convulsing madly "Pierce" she exclaimed in hopelessness as she hugged him trying to relieve him from pain.

Hermione's eyes widened "This weapon … HARRY STOP!" Hermione yelled at him in rage, not being able to endure what she is witnessing "STOP!" she yelled again; but he didn't stop until Pierce passed out due to the immense pain; he then turned to her bearing the darkest smile she’ve even imagined.

"Why are you annoying me, woman? Stand back and enjoy the show; your turn will be next" he said in grim pleasure.

"You are one of them" she said breathlessly "You are a death eater; how couldn't I see that"

"Took you so long to admit it" he smirked "The whole case was my doing; and I couldn't help but laugh at your helplessness"

"Why?" she said in disbelief "Why are you doing this?"

"Because you, commoners, are spoiling the world with your foul presence; and it is our ultimate goal to cleanse the world of your dirty blood; and we, the pure bloods will rule" Hermione was shocked at the sheer wickedness he spoke with; and when she locked her eyes with his; there was neither warmth nor care in his eyes, but instead she found sheer malevolence and maliciousness.

"You are not Harry" she whispered as tears began to gather in the back of her eyes "You are not him"

"How sentimental; are you going to cry all over me now?" he said before laughing loudly; and suddenly something solid hit him on the chest. He looked at the fallen handbag then looked at Lydia with furious eyes.

"You monster" Lydia exclaimed "You don't deserve to live"

"You are the one who will die, insolent bitch … _Avada Kedavra_ " the sickening green lightning shot out of his wand; and the static electricity filled the air as the curse flew across the hall and hit Lydia squarely in the chest.  She flew backwards and dropped to the ground … Motionless.

"No" Hermione exclaimed desperately, and tried to go and check Lydia; but Harry pointed his wand at her "Don't move" he yelled warningly.

"Harry why? Why are you doing this? I trusted you with my life" she said almost crying; and he replied acidly "Because you are weak. I would love to enjoy torturing you, but I'm already behind schedule and Muerte wants you dead. Farewell, Detective Granger … _Avada Kedavra_ "

Her teary eyes widened as the green lightning flew towards her …


	10. Divide and Conquer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It was always a grim for Harry to write down the names of those who are killed on duty. But it was grimmer to him when the fallen are the innocent ... and muggles.

Somewhere in Japan, Harry was sitting in a dimly-lit place leafing through the ancient books and scrolls of the dark arts of magic. Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain hitting his chest as though someone was piercing a knife through his heart. This sudden pain caused him to fall back and clutch his chest in pain, and an audible gasp alerted his master to the situation.

“Harry-kun!!” Asked Tatsuya in concern aiding his disciple regaining his footing “Are you alright?!”

Harry could not answer immediately and kept silent for a couple of minutes fighting the dull pain in his chest until he could breathe again.

“I'm alright” Harry said breathlessly and with a pale face “This pain … It felt so unreal. I haven’t felt such pain since-”

A dark thought passed his mind and he looked at his old master and continued “Since the time I was killed by Voldemort”

When the Harry finished his statement, the look on Tatsuya’s face changed from concern to complete seriousness “Harry-kun …” he said “Where is Fawkes?”

“Why?!” The younger man looked puzzled, that last question seemed unrelated to the situation at hand “Where is Fawkes?”

“In America …” Harry answered still bearing the same look “I instructed him to protect a muggle acquaintance of mine from any magical threat while I’m gone, but I don’t see what does that have to do with-“

“Harry-kun, listen carefully …” His master interrupted him yet again “When I told you that you are descended from the original phoenix, I forgot to mention that Fawkes is descended from the same phoenix, which means that both of you share some sort of a blood bond”

Harry was astonished by the revelation. Yet, the old sword master did not stop “However, you seem to share more just a simple bond; it seems that since your acquaintance with that bird the bond has evolved spiritually. But to feel his anguish …”

“Wait!!” Harry said in worry “If I felt his anguish, it means that he was hit by a killing curse, which in turn means …” His face turned from worry to tension “Hermione!”

The younger man jumped to his feet and bowed to his master “Sorry, sensei. But I have to go” Tatsuya didn’t say a single word. In fact, he didn’t even nod as his did usually; that evolved bond occupied his mind to the point where he muttered to himself “Harry-kun, please be careful”

\-------------------------------------

“ _Avada Kedavra_ …” Hermione's teary eyes widened as the green lightning flew toward her. Suddenly, a burst of flame erupted in front of her, and a red-feathered huge bird appeared out of thin air and swallowed the green lightning, before getting scorched again and turning into ashes.

“Impossible” Harry's eyes widened “Bloody bird”; he prepared to shoot another curse but, much to his luck, he heard the elevator doors opening at the same time a strong surge of pain overcame his body.

“Damn” he cursed angrily “You got lucky this time Granger; but next time; you won't be” and he disappeared back into the shadows he came from.

Hermione stood in state of astonishment for a minute trying to understand what has happened during the last ten minutes; but the voice of Officer Greene returned her to reality before concluding anything.

“Detective Granger I heard som- … Good Lord! what happened?!” Paul asked in shock as he saw the massacre that happened; and Hermione replied quickly “We were attacked, Paul. Call for an ambulance” Paul nodded and headed back to the elevator hall.

Hermione ran toward Pierce, who was still lying down, and checked him quickly. Luckily, he was still alive though, at the same time, unconscious. She slapped him lightly trying to wake him up; but all what he did was groaning and murmuring “Lydia …” he mumbled lightly, and she remembered that there was another fallen victim.

She paced toward Lydia praying to God that she is alright, but when she reached her she felt a shudder overcome her as she observed her motionless body; she slowly turned her on her back only to gasp sharply as a pair of two vacant eyes stared at her.

“NO!!” Hermione exclaimed in anguish as she started CPR, but it was all in vain … Lydia was already dead.

“NO!! Lydia please, wake up ... WAKE UP!!” Hermione yelled at the fallen woman; and her eyes glistened with tears. She continued the CPR procedure for another five minutes; but with no avail.

“Damn” she said as she helplessly gazed the dead body of her partner's wife “DAMN YOU POTTER!! WHY?!”

Her tears began to fall; and for a minute she did nothing but crying; until she heard a strange singing coming from the pile of ashes that was all left from the strange bird. And suddenly, another bird appeared from that pile of ashes looking exactly like the bird that scorched; before it too disappear in a whirl of fire, and she was all alone … again.

\------------------------------------------

“I don't believe it!” Ron exclaimed in frustration as he paced back and forth in the main hall of the HQ with Vlad looking at him indifferently “The day has passed and he hadn’t contacted us yet”

“He will, sir; I am sure of that” Vlad answered firmly, and Ron nodded with agreement “I'm not questioning his survival ability, Vlad; It's just that he asked me to deliver these files to him, here; but he hasn't showed up yet”

Ron continued his pacing, but not for long, as he was fed up with it “THAT'S ENOUGH!! any more waiting and I will kill myself for sure” he turned to Dick, who was working on his computer “I will go out and look for any information regarding our case; do you want me to bring anything from the precinct, Dick?”

Dick waved graciously as he replied “Thanks for the offer Wes, but I got everything I want by hacking; although there was another hacker on the other side who appears to be an elite”

“Must be Pierce” Ron ensued casually “But what is he doing at the precinct in this late hour?”

“Don't know, but it's nothing our Sofia can't investigate; I'll contact her immediately” Dick replied in excitement and was about to send the instructions; but stopped dead in his tracks.

“What? Why have you stopped?” Ron asked in concern.

“Weird; Sofia has sent an e-mail that is titled 'Stat'; I hope nothing is wrong” Dick answered while checking it up

“Then check it up” Vlad said in his usual firmness.

“I'm doin' it right now, and it says, hmmm … Auror report no. blab blab, yada yada yada … Yes, here where we begin; another death eater attack”

“Finally they're showing up again” Ron exclaimed in sheer excitement he didn't try to hide “when and where?”

“As for the time; it has just happened ten minutes ago; as for the place …” Dick didn't complete his sentence as he eyed the name of the location.

“Where, Dick?! Where?!” Ron urged him to talk.

“You won't believe it …” Dick said finally in hoarse voice “The precinct itself …”

And Ron's eyes widened at the revelation.

\------------------------------------------

Alicia yawned soundly and stretched her limbs as the clock was ticking slowly toward the end of the shift.

“Man, this shift is as dead as the morgue … I see why they call it the graveyard shift” she stated in boredom “If I don't get something to do right know, I might drop snoring”

“Then snore in another room please; I could use some quiet in here” Ginny replied firmly not removing her eyes from what appeared to be a report she's writing.

“Are you still persistent on completing that report? It won't hurt to delay it a bit”

“I've delayed it too much” Ginny replied firmly “And if I delay it much further, my chance for earning the fellowship will go up to smoke”

“Are you still thinking about that fellowship? You are still a first year resident; and you got some major competition, ya' know; so your chance is about”

“I know” Ginny sighed irritably not liking the 'encouragement' her friend showing “But it won't hurt to try”

“Right …” Alicia said slowly before pulling the report off Ginny's hands without warning.

“Hey!” Ginny yelled in anger trying to reach the report “Give it back”

“Not until you promise me to postpone it for some time; the interview will take place after two months, and I'm getting bored of watching you writing” Alicia said to Ginny as she held the report away from her; Ginny tried to reach it but she couldn't.

“Okay, I give up, I will delay it; give it back now” Ginny said irritably; but Alicia shock her head in refusal and replied sweetly “You didn't say the magic word”

Ginny sighed in frustration before speaking again “Would you give it back … Please?” and Alicia nodded in agreement and gave back the report.

“Now” Alicia said happily “Let's talk about something other than work. What should we talk about?”

Ginny shrugged indifferently “I don't know; you are the one who suggested the whole thing”

“I know; let's talk about you; your love life to be precise” Alicia suggested; and Ginny startled at the sudden suggestion.

“Why have you chosen such sensitive subject” Ginny said awkwardly; and Alicia's eyes rolled before replying “Because it _is_ a sensitive subject; and I like to discuss such subjects. Now, care to tell me who was the first love interest in your life?”

Ginny blushed fiercely before answering “You met him once before; he's Harry Potter”

Alicia yelled in victory making Ginny jump “I knew it; so tell me, how was your first date with that hot guy?”

“Believe it or not; we've never dated” Ginny answered casually; earning her a disapproved snort from her friend “What? Never dated? How can you pass up such good-looking guy?”

Ginny sighed in depression as she explained “We were raised together for quite some time; he was an orphan who lost his entire family in a bloodthirsty murder, and when we lived together he always treated me like a sister, the sister he never had”

“How sad … But when was it when you discovered your feeling toward him?”

“I always fancied him; being our school famous icon; but my feeling towards him didn't increase until we embarked into a series of … Dangerous adventures; and he saved my life in each and every one of them. Sense then I felt so attracted to him; my feeling even increased when he started to track down his family's murderers; which gained him more renown in our … County. I finally revealed my feeling toward him just before he came here, but he insisted on treating me like a sister” Ginny sighed slowly trying to calm her nerves “So, after he rejected me I asked myself an important question; was it love that I felt toward him; or it was just simple crush that I felt toward Harry Potter; the icon?”

“What was it then?” asked Alicia, who was deeply immersed into the story; and Ginny smiled unhappily before answering “Sadly enough; it was the latter; so I finally came to terms with my infatuation and sworn to wait until my heart decide who is my true love”

Alicia gaze silently upon her friend's sad face before speaking “Well, I thought we were going to have fun with this conversation; but it looks like I triggered some deeply buried emotions inside you; sorry Gin”

Ginny chuckled “Don't worry; I needed to speak my mind with someone I trust; and who would been more trusting than you; my noisy friend” she smacked Alicia lightly on the head; and the latter laughed “You said it girlfriend; and don't worry about that thickhead investigator; one day you will have a lord”

“My dear Alicia; He is a lord” Ginny said with a smile, and Alicia looked at her in speechless shock; they didn't say another word as Martha, the admission desk employee, stormed into the room.

“Dr. Weasley, Dr. Adams; EMTs are pulling in with two, ETA ten minutes”

“Well then” Alicia stood up trying to cover her shock “Let's get our hands dirty”

They took their positions in front of the ER entrance; as the first victim brought in, she's fallen into shock “Pierce?!”

The EMT began his chores “Pierce McLaden; 29-year-old male; 6'3”, suffering from multiple seizures and we've counted three until now; been unconscious during the trip; airway has been established properly”

“Thank you Lopez; take him to trauma one now. Alicia, I'll take him and you handle the rest” said Ginny before heading toward the trauma room.

As soon as she stepped in, she assumed her usual role “Okay everybody; I want a clean swift procedure this time; Maria, I want CBC, chem.-7, blood gases and X-ray”

“He's seizing” Nurse Katie exclaimed.

“Damn; 8mg of Valium; quick” Ginny said as she examined him physically “Abdomen rigid and distended; must be internal injuries …”

The procedure went through for fifteen minutes before everything became under control. After she finished with Pierce, she walked into the trauma room next door where Alicia was working on the second patient.

“Time of death … 1:47” Alicia said in a shaky voice; and Ginny felt a sudden pang in her heart at the statement. Everyone stepped out of the room slowly except her and Alicia who turned to her slowly.

“How is your patient?” she said with unusual sadness; and Ginny looked at her oddly before answering “Luckily, he will survive; I assume yours didn't”

“Bull's eye” Alicia replied with dark sarcasm “At least she won't be orphan after all”; the statement caused Ginny to think fiercely before speaking “Who was it, Alicia?”

“See yourself” Alicia said gloomily as she removed the sheet off the body's face; and Ginny gasped soundly “Lydia; no …”

\-----------------------------------

Ron walked into the precinct at 2:00am only to be greeted with a buzzing sound as the police officers paced here and there posting some criminal images.

“Detective Weasley; welcome back” Office Greene greeted him hastily before walking away.

“What happened, Paul? Why is everybody on their toes?”

“A disaster sir; Detective Granger barely escaped from another assassination attempt; and Detective McLaden and his wife were injured badly; but I'm not the best one who can tell you the details. Detective Granger was present at the scene; you'll probably find her in her office”

“Thanks Paul; I'll go now” Ron said as he walked toward the elevator; he reached the third floor quickly; and saw that it was as crowded as the first floor; some investigators were taking photos of the crime scene and a strange pile of ashes; and he saw Sofia amid them.

“Sof- Laura; what happened in here” Ron said cautiously; and the metamorph replied “There was an attack here involved detectives Granger and McLaden …” she looked at him with a significant look and lost her balance dropping the file she was holding on purpose.

“Watch it” Ron kneeled as if was trying to catch her; and she whispered slowly “ _Traces of the Cruciatus curse all over the place_ ” she stood up and thanked him before returned to her work; and Ron stood thinking about what she said before heading toward Hermione's office.

He knocked the door before entering; and the first thing he saw was Hermione leaning at her desk while covering her face with her hands; he stepped in silently and walked toward her.

“Hermione; are you all right?” Ron whispered at her, and she jerked at his voice and uncovered her face; he saw the trail of tears in her face … She was crying.

“Ron, welcome back; I hope your fare was okay … Unlike here” she greeted him gloomily; and he noticed the uneasiness in her voice “What happened here Hermione? I heard that you were involved into another assassination attempt; are you alright?”

She didn't bother answering him as she spoke absentmindedly “Have you ever trusted someone, Ron? Trusted him so much even with your life; and in the end it appeared that this very person was the one responsible of turning your own life upside down. Have you ever granted someone everything he desired; and he used your grant to turn your life into living hell? Have you?!”

Ron looked at Hermione with utter confusion “What are you talking about, Hermione?”

At that time, Hermione's lower lips began to tremble; and her tears began to flow again as she answered him “It was Harry, Ron; it was Harry who attacked us”; and Ron entered a state of shock “Harry?! Impossible! It can't be!”

“It already happened, Ron; he attacked us and confessed that he was working for the death eaters; he tricked us into trusting him; he tricked me” she barely held herself from crying all over him; and she covered her face with her hands again. Ron patted her on her shoulder as a way of comforting her, before assuming the seat in front of her and speaking calmly “Now, I want you to tell me everything that happened …”

\----------------------------------------

Pierce opened his eyes slowly and found out that he was lying on a hospital bed; he sat up slowly biting his lower lip out of pain only to feel a pair of soft hands helping him; and a familiar smell of jasmine filled his lungs.

“You should not be moving, Mr. McLaden; your injuries are yet to be healed” he heard a familiar angelic voice and turned toward the source to be greeted with the face of Ginny.

“I think I should be attacked more often to be able to see you, Dr. Weasley” he said in his usual amusing remark; but felt uneasy as Ginny smiled weakly “What is it?” he asked gravely; and Ginny leaned toward him with a grim face “It's about your wife”

“Lydia; what happened to her; is she alright?” he exclaimed while leaning forward violently, and how groaned as his whole body itched with pain.

“You shouldn't move so abruptly, Mr. McLaden; your body is battered enough” Ginny helped him resting back on his bed; and he asked weakly “Ginny, what happened to my wife? Tell me she's alright”

Ginny sighed soundly before speaking “Mr. McLaden; your wife was brought here right after you …” Pierce's eyes widened as she said those words, for he knew what they meant “No …”

“We utilized all our abilities to revive her” Ginny carried on with the same routine monologue trying to keep her tone as neutral as she could “But she was already dead when they brought here … We couldn't save her … I'm sorry”

Pierce's eyes widened as she said those words; and as she finished he was so pale and in a total state of shock “No, no, no, NO … WHY; WHY HER?!” he began to shake violently and screamed madly “SHE WAS INNOCENT; WHY HER?!”

Ginny tried to calm him down; but he pushed her away as he tried to get up; and his whole body itched again “LYDIA, LYDIA; YOU CAN'T BE DEAD, NOT YOU!!” and tears began to flow from his eyes.

“Mr. McLaden, please; your body can't take anymore” she pushed him back on his bed, and he obeyed weakly as if he was a rag doll “Not her; please tell me it's not her”; he began to cry on her shoulder, and she massaged his back in a comforting way “Shh, shh; relax, you are now the only family for your daughter; you won't be any help to her if you were handicapped” she slowly injected him with a sedative.

The statement hit him “Sherry; where is she? Nobody’s at home with her now”

“Don't you have a nanny for her?”

“No, not after Lydia left her job; please bring her here for me; Lydia must've dropped her at our neighbors' as usual, please” Pierce said slowly as the medicine began to take effect.

Ginny nodded at him “Okay; you just relax here and I will go to look for her now”; Pierce smiled at her “Thank you Ginny; you are such a wonderful person” and he drifted to sleep.

Ginny stepped out of the ward barely holding together; it took her great deal of strength to prevent herself from crying in front of him, but now she couldn't take it anymore; so she leaned against the nearest wall and let her tears flow freely.

“Why? Why should the innocent always suffer?”

\--------------------------------------------

“ … And the ambulance came and picked up Pierce and Lydia” Hermione ended her retelling of the incident to Ron, who sat silently digesting every word she said; and at the end of her speech he finally spoke “That was … Horrible”

“You've been lucky not to go through this whole ordeal; I can't believe that Harry did this, just when I began to trust him” Hermione said her last word as in a stifle; and Ron sense something beyond mere distrust in her words; but it was not the right time or place to speak about anything but the case at hand.

“As for me; I believe that it was not Harry who did it” Ron said attracting her attention “That must be a death eater in disguise”

“Honestly Ron, how can I mistake a disguise?” Hermione said in disapproval “It was Harry, his hair, face, and even sound proves it. Although I have to admit that his eyes weren't; his eyes didn't show the usual gentleness and warmth, instead they showed utter malice and cruelty; as if he was enjoying our pain and torture. It was … Brutal” she ended her statement with unsteady voice and Ron felt sympathy towards her; whatever she faced it wasn't meant to be _'Now I see why you were against this plan, Harry. Muggles shouldn't encounter our dangers, there won't be a fair advantage to them'_ he thought to himself.

“There is another thing that I forgot to mention” she said in a tone that attracted his attention “There was some kind of bird, a red bird, that appeared in a burst of flame and swallowed the green light aimed at me before burning to crisp” she looked at Ron, who nodded her to continue “It was strange enough that it appeared out of nowhere, but what happened next was even stranger”

“What happened?” Ron asked in apparent curiosity, but in his mind he knew what’s next, and Hermione proved him right when she said “It appeared out of its ashes, as if it was … A phoenix”

A pregnant silence followed her statement, before Ron spoke firmly “I can't explain what happened; but deep inside I believe in one thing … Harry didn't do it”

“Based on what proof?” she interrupted him with equal firmness; and he blurted “Because he …” but stopped before revealing anything; she looked at him stubbornly before relying “Was with you, right? He told me that before going to your flat the day you left; but now I see that he lied”

Ron didn't reply, so Hermione continued “I think this matter will be of dispute until we meet that so-called investigator again … Or arrest him” they ended their conversation abruptly not knowing that at the same time, Harry was crossing the front doors of the precinct.

Before he passed through the doors he felt some kind of magnetic field around him; he thought it was some king of ward, but it was unlike any ward he ever encountered. He dropped the matter off his mind as it was not the best time for it, he have to make sure that Hermione is alright. The second he passed through the doors he was met with a cold breeze which forced him to pull his coat tighter, and large commotion amid the police officers, which made him feel more uncomfortable; he walked toward the nearest office in intend to ask him about Hermione.

“Excuse me officer; may I speak with detective Granger” he asked politely as usual; but the look on the officer's face wasn't of his liking.

“Son of a bitch … Freeze” the cop pulled out his gun and pointed it at him; and the rest of the police force who noticed his presence did the same.

“What? What is it?” Harry asked in confusion; but was forced to kneel by an officer as another cuffed his hands.

“Why are you doing this? I did nothing” Harry exclaimed in a mix of confusion and anger as he tried to stand up; but the officer behind him forced his head down as he yelled back at him “You got the nerve of asking about what you've done? Keep your head down you fucker”; he began to search him thoroughly and he pulled out his wand.

“What is this? A wooden stick?! And I thought I've seen everything” he handed the wand to his fellow officer and continued his search; until his hand hit the sheathed sword under the coat “What we got here?! A cold steel; now that is considered a weapon. You have the right to remain silent; any word you speak of will be used against you …”

Harry was fuming right now “This is an outrage; I demand explanation; I demand an audience with detective Granger”

“You will ... In the interrogation room” the officer said to him as he was pushed toward the elevator; when they reached the interrogation room he was handed to the officer in charge, who was no one but Officer Crawford.

“Damn; I knew you will be caught; but not that quick”

“He walked through the front doors so innocently; as if he didn't do anything” the officer who brought him remarked sarcastically; and Crawford laughed ironically before replying “Well, put this jerk inside; Granger will soon deal with him”

They placed Harry in the same room that he interrogated the thug in “Such irony” he muttered sarcastically; then he assumed a serious face as Hermione stepped in with Ron on her tail.

“Potter … How dare you show your face after what you did?” Hermione said in sheer anger that surprised Harry.

“Hermione” he said in confusion “What happened?”

“You've got the nerve to play dumb on me after all this?! It is barely two hours since you attacked us injuring both Lydia and Pierce; and you almost killed me”

“I attacked you?! But I wasn't even in America”

“Don't you dare lie to me!” she slapped the table hard “Didn't you think that I recognize you in the darkness? Unlucky for you the hall was not all dark, and I could recognize you easily. Now tell me, who are you really and where've you been before you attacked us?”

“I told you, I was out of the country” he insisted but she interrupted him for a good reason “Then why didn't we find a flight ticket with your name on it? Or your work address? Or even any information regarding your residence here and in England” Harry was dumbfounded at her findings; and he cursed himself silently for forgetting such trifle details.

Hermione sensed his uneasiness, and smiled in victory “Slipped off your mind, didn't it?” he didn't reply, so she completed “And you were either unlucky or thick to use the name of a businessman; although I found nothing but meager information …” she threw a copy if the letters she got from the company “… But our experts will compare it with the handwritings in the folder you gave me; and this will affirm whether it is your handwriting or not”

Harry didn't say a single word, and appeared as if he was clueless; but deep in his mind, his highly experienced brain cells were fully functioning and processing every word she said _'She has gone beyond expectations; I truly underestimated her'_

“Now; you can spare me the trouble by telling me one thing; who are you really … Potter or whoever you are?” she waited for an answer, but received nothing but the same irritating silence “ANSWER ME, POTTER!!” she exclaimed angrily and slapped the table hard, but he didn't  even flinch, “So, trying to be a strong bloke? A night or two in holding will definitely force you to yield”

She turned around and was about to walk out of the room; but Harry called her calmly “Hermione” she turned around with a raised eyebrow “Whatever happened here tonight; it was not my doing; I have been framed”; she turned her back on him before replying “It is Detective Granger for you … Potter”

As soon as she walked out of the interrogation room, Officer Crawford stepped in and picked him up; after a short walk, he dropped him in a small dim cell and walked out without a word although he seemed angry.

_'Great, like I need this whole bloody situation; bloody good timing'_ he thought angrily “But it is the time for re-evaluation not self-reproach; and first we need to get out of this bloody prison”

He tried to apparate to the HQ; but he tried for whole ten minutes and failed miserably _'Bloody Hell; why can't I disapparate, I can sense a ward pulling me down; but I don't remember passing one; unless …'_ he remembered the magnetic field he felt at the entrance “Of course! How can I be that stupid; luckily, I got another trick up my sleeve … Fawkes” the trusty phoenix appeared out of thin air and landed on Harry’s shoulders; he brushed its feathers and felt him somewhat weakened. He said calmly “How are you doing friend, I hope that protecting Hermione didn't give you any trouble; anyway, right now it appears I can't seem to be able to disapparate, so I need you to help me reach the HQ as soon as possible” he didn't need to complete his sentence as Fawkes instantly engulfed both of them in flames; few seconds later, they appeared in the intelligence hall of the HQ and he saw Ron arguing with Dick before he noticed his arrival.

“Bloody Hell, Harry! What took you so long?” Ron shifted his attention to him.

“The death eaters placed an anti-apparition ward around the police station; that's what kept me” Harry said casually as he walked toward his office, with Ron following him.

“Merlin! A ward encircling the whole precinct? But I didn't feel anything …” Ron was dumbfounded at the revelation.

“Well, I barely felt strange magnetic field surrounding the precinct, which I think was produced using the EMPA” Harry said as he opened the door to his office and switched on the lights.

“EMPA?! Now, now, Harry; here is where we disagree. As the team's muggle artifact specialist, I have to say that firing electromagnetic pulse weapons do not go unnoticed; and it doesn't place a magnetic field only; but temporarily disable any muggle electronics within its radius; which means that the whole precinct's electronics must've been disabled by the time we reached it”

Harry got irritated at the improper-timed scientific explanation and voiced his irritation in his reply “I know Ron, I've read some muggle physics books during the last month; but this is not the best time to discuss this 'theory'. Also, keep in mind that Flint might've incorporated magic into the machine which led to this unusual phenomenon”; he assumed his seat before continuing “Now, care to tell me … what happened?”

Ron seated down and began to retell the event as Hermione told him, and saw Harry's body tense as he want further into the story; but when he reached the last part where Fawkes appeared, he saw a look of concern on Harry's face.

“So, that proves sensei’s theory” Harry mumbled to himself, before speaking up to Ron “Thank you for your thorough report, Ron; now if you may, I need to write down every word you said into an incidence report; and also I have to arrange my thoughts. So, would you please summon the team leaders and Sofia and arrange an urgent auror meeting for me?”

“Right away, Harry” Ron nodded at his superior and best mate and walked out of the room, but before that harry called “And Ron …” and he turned “We need to think of plan B because this incident definitely ended any possibility for me to connect with our so-called muggle allies”

Ron grimaced at the tone his friend and superior spoke the last part with but nodded in agreement before leaving the room. Harry, on the other hand, leaned back in his seat and began processing every word Ron said _'Now let's see; an imposter disguised as me attack Hermione and her muggle friends probably killing one and injuring the other; the muggle police arrested me without second thought and Hermione seemed enraged with me; I couldn't apparate from the police station because, apparently, someone has placed an anti-apparition ward that was concealed somehow; also, my wand and sword got confiscated. If this isn't a bad situation then I'm a flobberworm'_

He opened a drawer and pulled out a parchment and a quill, then dipped the quill in an ink pot in on the desk and began to write the incidence report …

\--------------------------------

“WHAT?! ESCAPED?! HOW CAN YOU BE SO CARELESS?!” Hermione bellowed at Officer Crawford, who's face turned red from shame and irritation “I wasn't careless, detective Granger; he's definitely hasn't escaped by normal means because the cameras hasn't recorded any break-out, as if he has magically … Disappeared”

“Nonsense” Hermione said firmly, and something hit her “Of course; how can I be so stupid; the same thing happened with Muerte; so, if Potter was from the death eaters …”

She cut her voiced thoughts when she saw Crawford looking confusingly at her, and she looked at him firmly “Mike, I want you to prevent anyone from putting a foot inside the holding cell where Potter was until the investigators finish their work” she finished her words before pacing toward the elevator and going straightly to the third floor aiming for the Captain's office.

“Captian Maro- … Oh, you're here” she said in loathsome manner as she eyed the hateful FBI agent.

“Well Granger, I heard that your PI friend wasn't a friend after all” Johnson sneered in enjoyment.

“None of your bloody business, Johnson” she snapped at him before turning to her boss “Captain, I request an open search warrant for Potter”

“Not so fast, detective” Maronski said firmly “First, let the other team finish their processing of the crime scene, and then we'll talk about that”; Hermione said now word as she stepped out of the office.

“Granger” Johnson called her firmly.

“What is it, Johnson?” she responded coldly; but the agent never minded her tone as he replied “I want just to remind you that we on the same side; even though we are not on the same wavelength; so, how about putting our feud on hold and joining forces?” he extended his hand toward her, but all what she did is looking at him coldly and replied “In your dreams, Johnson; I reckon that you have proved to be untrustworthy. So, forget it”

She turned her back on him and continued on her way; then she heard him bellow “Is that what I deserve for being helpful? Remember Granger, you are all alone and that Potter has marked you for death, you hear me? Death”

“I believe that he didn't have a liking of you either, so we are in the same position” she retorted quickly and didn't wait for his reply as jumped into the open elevator.

She reached the basement floor and went straight to the holding cells only to find Crawford and the team of CSIs minus one.

“Where's Laura?” she asked the nearest investigator.

“Family emergency, she had to go quickly; but don't worry, we are more than enough to do this work”

“I hope so …” she replied in unconvinced manner; as much as she loathed the mentioned investigator, she was one of the best whom she worked with. She then walked past them toward the evidence vault, signed the needed papers, and entered. As soon as she entered she saw her goal on the nearest shelf, Harry's sword and wand.

She picked up the elegant shaped wand and admired the craftsmanship that made it _'Why would a sensible person walk around while pocketing a worthless piece of wood; I have to admit that it has been crafted elegantly, but this isn't a convincing reason. And what is the meaning of this drawing'_ she looked interestingly at the phoenix carving that encircles the wand _'It looks like a bird of some sort; but I can't identify it clearly'_

She put the wand back to its place, and picked up the sword _'Now that is wicked'_ she partially unsheathed the sword and gasped in awe as she eyed the shining metal, she took notice of the English name and Japanese characters on both sides of the blade _'Godric Gryffindor … Who is it?'_ ; She unsheathed the sword totally and waved it unskillfully _'Light … Yet deadly; he could've sliced me in half if he wanted to'_

After examining the sword fully, she returned everything to its place and walked out of the evidence vault and went back to the busy investigators “Can I speak with you please” she said to one of the investigator who appeared to be their superior.

“Yes, detective?” he looked at her cautiously.

“I just want to know if you began your work on the confiscated evidences, the sword and the wooden stick”

“Ah, well, we were about to process it, but this 'incident' halted it temporarily. Anyway, we have taken a few pictures of them and sent it to the lab; you can check with Yoshiro, the lab specialist, if you want to check up any progress; you can find him in the lab in the second floor”

“Thank you” Hermione said as she walked away; she got into the elevator and pushed the button to the second floor. As soon as the elevator doors opened she leapt forward eagerly toward the lab and entered without caring to knock the doors.

“Excuse me” she called the lab specialist who was immersed in his work, and he jumped at her voice.

“Whoa; haven't you heard about knocking before entering before entering?” the Asian specialist yelled in disapproval, and she apologized for her rudeness.

“Sorry about that; the leading investigator said that you have somewhat processed the confiscated items that we got from Harry Potter”

“Ah, yes, the katana and that wooden stick; we've examined that stick first and it appeared as ordinary as any other of its kind” he handed her several pictures of the wand, and she took a quick glance of it, then he resumed “But when we took an X-Ray photo, we found something weird” he pulled an X-Ray photo out of a drawer, and handed it to her “The stick is hollow, but not empty; it contains a bird's feather” she can see his point as the photo clearly showing the image of the hollow wand.

“Have you specified what kind of bird?” she asked him as a theory began to develop in her mind.

“Not yet; we were about to extract the feather from it, but we fear that we might damage the evidence, so we preferred to use less invasive approach, like photo comparison” he said casually before pulling out another pile of pictures an X-Ray photos “And we found a match in an odd place … The katana handle”

“What? It's an odd place indeed” she retorted, and he pointed at an area in the X-Ray photo of the sword handle and the wand “Look here, the same patterns, but if you looked closely, you will see that the stick's feather is far more worn out that the one in the katana handle, which means that it has been placed in the stick in a time prior to the handle”

She looked at the photos in amazement before speaking again “Speaking of swords, have you translated the Japanese markings on the blade?” she said.

“Of course; if I, pure Japanese, didn't translate it, then who would? The words engraved are 'Phoenix Blade' …” he said the words slowly, and Hermione looked at him as her eyes gleamed “Phoenix, you say. Of course; the patterns of the stick carvings match the mythological shape of the phoenix; but, why is the phoenix mentioned here and there?”

“I don't know, but something came back to me and … Nah, forget it” he said half-mindedly, and she urged him to speak “Speak your mind, it won't hurt even if it was wrong”

“It isn't about right and wrong, it's just … a bit silly. You know that I'm Japanese, and we have book-loads of legends; my grandfather once told me about a legend, and said that it will happen soon; this legend involves a legendary katana …This katana, to be precise”

Hermione was in state of confusion “You really lost me here”

“I'm sorry, but I'm not the best one to tell you anything about it; you should speak with my grandfather”

Hermione nodded “If it helps the case, then yes; can you arrange a meeting between me and him?”

Yoshiro looked apologetically as he answered “I'm sorry, he is out of the country now; but he will not take long; as soon as he returns I will inform you”

She nodded in appreciation “Thank you, is there anything else you can share?”

“Yes, it's about the pile of ashes they found in the crime scene” he leaned forward “We've processed it and the result came out weird; it seems that it belongs to an animal of some kind because we found traces of amino acids. The problem is; these traces are so scarce because whatever the creature was, it has been burned at a very high temperature that we can only find in metal factories and volcanoes; it is so strange that the hall wasn't touched; what kind of weapon can do that; and most importantly, what was the creature that has been burned” Yoshiro said as he rubbed his head trying to think of an answer

“I don't know” Hermione lied; she wanted to tell him about the strange bird, but something in her mind told her not to; then something hit her “That bird …” she mumbled.

“Sorry? Did you say something?” Yoshiro looked up at her.

“Nothing; can I ask a favor? Can you send me a copy of any report about anything regarding this case?”

“Of course” he said and winked at her “And I'll make sure that the feds wouldn't know about it”

“It will be much appreciated” she thanked him graciously before walking out of the lab.

\---------------------------------

“Harry, the team leaders and Sofia are all here” Ron said as he popped his head into Harry's office.

“Okay, escort them all to the meeting room, and be ready for full case discussion” Harry replied as he pocketed the report parchment and picked up the case brief. He then walked out of his office toward the intelligence hall only to find Dick sitting in front of the computer immersed, as usual.

“Dick! Why aren't you at the meeting?!” Harry said firmly; and dick jumped when he heard his commander's voice.

“Sir, I-I thought it was another team leaders meeting, so I …” Dick stammered as he tried to explain, but he was stopped by a firm wave from Harry.

“Do not assume ever again; it is a case discussion not a group meeting, and I always want my team members to be updated; so, if you want to be a death tracker then act like one; get used to the sudden meetings, and always remember, constant vigilance”

“Sir, yes sir” Dick saluted his superior firmly and jogged off the hall; Harry followed a moment after. He heard the commotion coming out of the meeting room; but as soon as he entered, silence fell.

He gazed upon the crowd with unusual firmness, which caused a shudder to spread amid them; he assumed his leader seat and all have seated after; the silence persisted for a whole ten minutes before Harry broke it.

“We … Have a situation here” said Harry slowly, and all of them, save Ron and Sofia, looked at him with utter confusion, which didn't last as he continued “There has been a murder and a casualty at least among the muggles; I know it is not something unordinary considering the death eaters on the loose, but you have to know that the victims are no other than our unofficial allies; the muggle police detectives” as he said those last words, murmurs have risen up; “The main problem, or problems to be correct, is that I was the one who was framed with the murder” several gasps have been heard, and the murmurs became loud; Harry gestured them to silence before continuing “The second problem is when I was arrested, and my belongings got confiscated; I tried to apparate from the holding cells; but it appears that the death eaters were ready for that attempt; they have erected an anti-apparition ward and concealed it somehow”

“You mean with a concealment charm, sir” Vanessa asked curiously; and Harry shook his head “No, not a concealment charm, but something else; I have a theory regarding it, but first let's hear yours … Anyone?”

The hall fell into pregnant silence as Harry waited for someone to talk; finally, Auror Lee Chang spoke breaking the silence “Sir, have you identified the impersonator and the method he used yet?”

“A good question, Lee” Harry nodded “But as you see, we have just discovered the murder, so the murderer hasn't been caught yet. As for the impersonation method, my theory is that it the method won't be other than polyjuice potion; or the murderer might be a metamorphagus”

Vlad seemed to be in intense thinking before getting up and asking “Sir, How did the death eaters know that the muggle detectives will be present during that time? Auror Weasley said it is unlikely of them to be there during that late hour”

Harry looked at him with a significant glance “Well, you don't expect us to be the only ones with insiders in the precinct now, do you Vlad?”

Harry then waited for another question to be asked; and when he received nothing, he decided to put forth his theories “I see that you have no more questions, so let's discuss my theories” everybody paid careful attention at what was going to be said “From the beginning of this case, I felt that everything was confusing; the murders, Flint's alliance with a muggle, and finally; their attempt to kill the muggle detectives; I couldn't see how can the death eaters benefit from such deeds; but then, everything seemed to clarify” he leaned forward and continued “Unfortunately for the death eaters is that I'm a half-blood; so I have some muggle habits which I couldn't give up; on of them is reading the muggle newspapers, where I found something rather intriguing” he pulled out an old newspaper from his pocket and threw it across the table for all to see “A muggle device was has disappeared in strange circumstances, and all what appeared on the muggle surveillance cameras was a black hooded figure; a death eater to be precise”

Sofia looked at him confusingly before asking “But sir, what would the death eaters benefit from stealing muggle artifacts”

Harry smiled at her before answering “Dear Sofia, we all know that magic can do great things; and these things can be even greater if magic and muggle artifacts have been utilized together in a good way; so you never know what they can come up with when they incorporate magic with the stolen device; but knowing the death eaters; we can expect it to be so harmful; Which bring us to my second theory” he picked up the newspaper and flashed the bold title “This contraption, called EMPA, is a device used to produce a strong electro-magnetic pulse that can knockout the power out of three to four city blocks; but the effect of incorporating magic into it is yet to be discovered … or it what appears to be” he looked at them intently “When I passed the gates of the police station this morning, felt some kind of magnetism erupted inside me; and I didn't feel the anti-apparition ward that hindered my escape; so I assumed that Flint has used this contraption in masking the presence of the ward”

Dick stated in confusion “But sir, shouldn't the precinct be de-electrified?”

“In normal cases, yes” Harry replied casually “But in tour case, I can't be certain; and I will say it again … We do not know the effect of magic on this contraption”

The pregnant silent fell again; before Auror William Hanson cleared his throat and asked the question that has been eating the inside of most of his colleagues “Sir … Considering the presence of a strong anti-apparition ward, how did you escape?”

“Well, I asked a friend for his aid … Fawkes!” as soon as Harry finished his call, the brilliant red phoenix appeared; and the whole room gasped in awe.

“Is it a … Phoenix, sir?” an auror asked while eyeing the majestic bird.

“Yes, Fawkes has been in the property of none other than Albus Dumbledore, my former mentor; and now he has become my aide and helped me out of pretty tight situations; now … Let's let him be, he needs recuperation” the brilliant phoenix disappeared in a swirl of fire that caused the aurors to flinch, and some of them muttered _'Brilliant'_ and _'Cool'_ at the scene.

After Fawkes has disappeared, Harry's face turned serious as he addressed the aurors “Now, I want suggestions regarding the situation at hand”; everybody went into a state of deep thinking before Ron spoke up.

“I really don't know what to say, Harry; the whole ordeal is complicated; and with the ward still erected, I doubt you'll ever retrieve your belongings”

Harry pointed a finger at him “Which means that we need to take it down and erect one of our own, just in case” then he turned toward his favorite team leaders “Vanessa, Lee, and William; I believe that your teams possess the best conjurers in the whole battalion; you will be the ones responsible for the ward dispelling and re-erecting with teams four, five, and six, will watch your backs while doing so. Also, I want the teams from seven through fifteen to search the whole city, including Brimstone Alley, for any death eater activities and report it to the headquarters immediately. Team sixteen will question the muggle professors at College of Science to pinpoint the exact layout of the EMPA, just make sure not to attract so much attention to your selves”

An auror stood up and asked “What about the rest of the teams, sir?”

“The remaining teams, seventeen, eighteen, and nineteen, will be assigned with an important task, the guarding of the police station; we do not want the death eaters to hurt any more innocent muggles” he pulled out the handout he pocketed earlier, which appeared to be a quick layout of the precinct and the surrounding districts “Your guard posts will be here, here, and here …” he dotted three specific places “And your covering area will be overlapped with the ward …” he drew a circle around the precinct “And each other's” he drew a circle around each dot which overlapped as he mention “This will increase the effectiveness in preventing the death eaters from accessing the station; and it will prove to be more effective when an anti-apparition ward is applied around each area” he looked at the usual three “Which, unfortunately, will be your duty too, Vanessa, Lee, and William”

“We are ready for anything, sir” Lee said with evident enthusiasm; which Harry smile at. Ron, on the other hand, had anther matter in his mind.

“Say Harry …” Ron interjected “Why don't use Fawkes' apparition in retrieving your stuff? I reckon that he can pass any ward no matter how strong it is; he helped you out of prison after all”

“It's a good point Ron, but don't think I haven't given it a thought; I didn't utilize Fawkes' abilities for three main reasons. One, I don't know where they put my belongings in; which will be your task to find. Two; Fawkes' apparition is too noisy and messy to be used in covert missions, like the one at hand. Lastly, I consider Fawkes a secret weapon that must be utilized only when needed, even though he appeared when he saved Hermione, they still cannot associate him with me”

After he finished his rather long instructions, Harry clapped his hands joyfully and stated “Well then … shall we make ourselves busy?”

\------------------------------------

Hermione paced hastily into the ER aiming for the admission desk; “Excuse me” she called for the clerk “A police detective has been brought here along with his wife; he is my partner, and he has been shot on duty; where can I find him?”

“He has been admitted upstairs; but you can check up with the doctors here if you want” the desk clerk said half-mindedly as she was immersed in work. Hermione nodded in appreciation and walked further into the hall until she met Alicia.

“Excuse me … Doctor?” Hermione called; and Alicia turned to her “A police detective was brought here directly from the police station along with his wife; his name is Pierce McLaden”

“McLaden? He has been admitted upstairs” Alicia answered, and Hermione nodded at her “I know, the desk clerk told me; but she didn't say a word about Lydia”

Alicia gloomed at the name mentioning “Well, I sadly say that she didn't make it”

Hermione's heart fell at the revelation “S-She's dead?!” Alicia nodded at her “We tried everything, but she was already dead when they brought her in”

Hermione stood silently while closing her eyes as she tried to control her emotions, and Alicia respected her silence; then she spoke to the female doctor “How about Pierce's condition?”

“He's fine” Alicia replied quickly “In fact, he is being tended to by doctor Weasley right now. He's in ward 3A”

“Thank you” Hermione thanked her before going straight for the elevator hall; she reached the third floor and went straight to the nurse station there.

“Excuse me” she called a near nurse “I'm looking for a patient …”

“Sorry miss, visiting hours are over” the nurse said calmly; but Hermione looked at her stubbornly “He is not a regular patient, he is a police detective goes by the name of Pierce McLaden; I'm his partner”

“Pierce McLaden” the nurse scanned the list of admitted patients “Sorry, he is newly admitted; thus, his visiting is not yet allowed”

“Can I speak with the MD in charge of his case? She is Doctor Ginevra Weasley”

“I'm here Hermione” Ginny called for her from the end of the hall “It is okay Melissa, I'll take her”

Hermione paced toward Ginny, and found that she was holding Sherry who was sleeping peacefully on her shoulder “Ginny, thanks; how is Pierce?”

“He is sleeping now; he couldn't bear it when I told him about Lydia's passing, so I had to sedate him” Ginny replied sadly, and Hermione felt her heart choke again.

“One of your colleagues told me about her” she said with equal sadness “I-I felt helpless when she was hit with that green beam”

Ginny's eyes widened at Hermione's last words “Green beam?! Have you seen who shot it, Hermione?”

“Yes” her sadness now turned into sheer rage “None other than our so-called ally … Harry Potter”

“Impossible” Ginny said rather loudly which caused Sherry to wince in her sleep; she cuddled her softly before speaking again in a low tone “Impossible Hermione; it cannot be Harry”

“Don't you too start, Ginny. I barely endured Ron's quarrel to start another one on the same subject. If you want to know why I insist on my stand, then you have to know that I saw him with my own eyes”

“But Hermione, I can't believe it; he …”

“He told me that he was going for England; but apparently, he lied. It was part of his grand plan” Hermione said stubbornly as her fist began to shake violently “He told me that all his generous information was to lure me into his trap; he then shot Pierce with a strange red beam that caused him to shake violently before shooting that green beam at Lydia and me; and miraculously, I survived”

Ginny's eyes widened even more as he heard the ordeal her neighbor and friend gone through, and she recognized every spell she spoke of “He was hit with a red beam; then that explains his seizures”

“What explains what?” Hermione looked at her confusingly; and Ginny began to blurt excitedly forgetting that she is talking to a muggles “It is one of the death eaters' spe … Oops”

“You know the death eaters?” Hermione said in curiosity “How come?”

“Well, I worked with Ron and Harry against them for some time; in our private investigation club” she said as she thanked God that Ron told her about their cover up story.

“Then you should know that he has confessed to me about him being a death eater all along, you better watch out for him”

Ginny shook her head as she replied “Hermione, if you knew Harry Potter as I knew him, then you wouldn't have said those words”; Sherry cooed softly and Ginny looked at her in motherly way “I think our little angel is waking up”

Hermione smiled at the little thing and addressed Ginny calmly “Ginny, why don't you let my parents take care of her? You have a busy job here”

“It is not my decision to make Hermione; she is Pierce's daughter; and personally, I prefer that his daughter stay near him in the mean time, at least until he recovers emotionally”

“Until then, I will wait for the warrant to hunt down Harry Potter” Hermione said firmly, and Ginny couldn't help but to pray silently for the quick reconciliation between her two best friends …

\--------------------------------

“Sir, Auror Vanessa is calling via a muggle cellphone” Dick said to Harry; who was reviewing the case for the umpteenth time.

“Then bring it forth” he took the cellphone from the elite hacker; and pressed the call button “Yes, Vanessa”

“Sir, there is a problem” Vanessa's voice came out nervously.

'What is it?”

“The anti-apprition ward; we cannot bring it down. It seems that the magnetic field that surrounds it protects it from any meddling”

“Is that so? Then proceed with the second part of the plan; erect the wards around the guard posts. We will contact you when we come up with a solution”

“Roger, sir” Vanessa replied firmly before hanging up, Harry sighed irritable and throw his whole body at the sofa “Out of a cauldron into the fiendfyre; Flint has dealt a pretty strong hand this time” he said while glancing at the bullet-in board showing a smiling mug-shot Flint.

“What is it, sir?” Dick asked as he noticed his superior's irritation.

“Apparently, the magnetic field around the ward sustains it and protects it from meddlers, like us”

“I can ask for help, sir” he said cautiously and Harry turned at him questionably “My mother is a muggle, ya' know; a Physics professor to be precise. I can ask her about a solution to this problem”

“Great” Harry beamed at him “Just don't mention the situation to her”

“Don't worry, sir” Dick nodded “She know that I work at the ministry, but she doesn't know my 'Exact' profession”

“Much better; carry on then” Harry waved at him “And Dick, I read your complaint about the lack of funding for your research; and as you said before, there is no intention of increasing it. So, I took the liberty of stopping the ministry's funding …” Dick when into a stat of shock at the horror; but Harry smiled at him and continued “And began to privately fund your research; here …” he threw him a Gringotts vault key “This is the key to your funding vault; there is already three million galleons in it plus the interest which is about 7.5%, use it wisely”

“Thank you, sir. I'll put it to good use” Dick couldn't contain himself from happiness; he only asked for a couple of grants from the ministry; but now he is being privately funded; and by whom? Harry Potter himself.

Harry knew what Dick is feeling right now; he experienced the same feeling when Dumbledore chose him as head boy; it was the warmth of trust that he felt; but at the memory of Dumbledore he felt a sting in his heart; “Well” he addressed his soldier “Carry on, then”

\-------------------------------------

“We are gathered here to mourn the passing of Lydia McLaden” the attending priest said slowly; and the attendees bowed their heads in respect “She was not a wife only, but a mother and a loyal friend …”

Pierce felt his heart sting as he gazed upon his wife's coffin; his admittance to the hospital has ended yesterday completing five days; but he didn't care about his own health, all what he cared for is to take his daughter away from the hospital as he grew overprotective of her. He shifted his sight right and his eyes settled on Ginny who was wearing a black dress and cuddling Sherry protectively; she gave him an assuring squeeze on the hand, which he returned graciously.

“… Ashes to ashes, dust to dust; Amen” the priest finished his speech, and the attendees began to move forward to pay their respect to Lydia. Pierce tried to get up, but the sheer pain he felt forced him down.

“Pierce, are you okay?” Ginny looked at him worriedly.

“Yes, don't worry Ginny” he said as he tried to get up again.

“You are still not fully healed; lean by my shoulder” she said as she leaned to him by herself; but he refused politely “Thanks for the offer Ginny, but I am too heavy for you; I might hurt you”

“Then let me help” Hermione said as she pushed toward them; and Pierce stood up by their aid not forgetting to thank God for having such good friends. They walked toward the coffin, and the people stepped aside for them.

When they reached the coffin; Pierce leaned at it began to speak weakly “Hiya there, Wife” he said in joyful sadness “I hope you have found peace right now because I didn't. One day, we will be united again; but until then I will be a good boy and behave mannerly” but then his emotions took the best of him; and he began to tear “Why have you gone?” he said I a choked voice “It should've been me … It should've been me who is dead; not you. I am the detective dammit”

Hermione and Ginny couldn't control themselves at the sight of their broken friend, and they began to sob silently; “Lydia; I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't have cursed. I just want you to know that I love you; and will love you until the end of my life”

Sherry began to cry loudly, and Ginny hugged while sobbing herself. Pierce walked towards her and brushed his hand over his daughter’s head. He was about to do the same to Ginny but refrained in the last second “I'm done here; let's go home”

They all walked away from the coffin not noticed the pair of emerald green eyes that followed them; then shifted back at the coffin.

“Flint … Death is too good for you”

\-----------------------------------

Hermione reached her apartment building after dropping Ginny and Pierce at his home; since the day he was discharged she insisted on taking care of him herself, it took a lot of convincing; but in the end Ron accepted, and she is now living at the McLadens and only dropping in to hand off Sherry before heading to work.

She reached her flat, but noticed that the light of the corridor is almost dim; but she was so tired to think of anything but her bed.

“Hermione …” a voice called softly out of nowhere; and she recognized it.

“Potter …” she called coldly, and he stepped out of the shadows “What are you doing here? Let me guess, you came to finish me off, isn't it?”

He never minded her sarcastic tone as he spoke slowly “I went to the cemetery today …”

“Why?” she snapped “Did you want to check out your deed? Or to collect a trophy?”

“Neither” he said firmly “I just wanted to pay my respects to Lydia”

“How polite of you” she said darkly “I never met such polite murders who pay their respects to their victims”

“Hermione” he pleaded “when will you believe that it wasn't me who did this?”

“When the image of you shooting that green beam at Lydia is taken out off my mind, I will believe you. How can you lie to me? You said that you were going to England”

“I did …” he said defensively.

“No you did not; I haven't found a single ticket of you. Why have you lied to me Harry? Why? I trusted you with my life” her face fell as she began to tremble; and at that moment their gaze met.

She felt the warmth and calmness of his eyes, and she found neither malice nor malevolence which his eyes showed the night he attacked her. Her heart told her that it was the real Harry who is standing before her; but her mind said that she must be cautious; and as usual, she followed her mind and ignored her heart.

“Hermione” He said with in a gentle tone “Remember what I told you about the death eaters' favorite tactic; divide and conquer. They are using it now; don't let them destroy the alliance we've built”

“You already have, Potter” she said gloomily “And next time I see you; I will shoot you down. Now, please leave …”

Harry gazed upon her firmly “Then Flint has won”

“Please …” she said almost in a whisper turning her back on him.

“Alright, sorry for disturbing you; goodbye … Detective Granger” and he stepped away from her.

She turned to him in pure apprehension “Harry, wai ...” she cut her sentence as he was there no more.


	11. Interception

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little did Hermione know that she was on the right path to know about Harry's true identity, even when her mind refused to believe it.

Dan and Emma were watching some sort of a movie when Hermione burst into the apartment wearing a frustrated look; she mumbled her greeting and went straight to her bedroom. Her parents exchanged a worried look before Dan said “Something bad has happened; I can feel it” he said looking seriously at his wife.

“Oh, I’m sure it’s just trouble at work” Emma retorted “She’s stubborn as her father when it comes to her feelings. Just leave her to me, I’ll crack her open in no time” with that last sentence she stood up and walked toward her daughter's room.

When she reached the room, she heard muffled sobbing coming from inside; she hesitantly opened the door and was greeted with the shocking image of her daughter lying on the bad, face down, and crying. The whole scene tore Emma's heart apart; she never saw her daughter in such vulnerable state before, she knew her as a strong-willed woman who never let her emotions surface, but seeing her in this weak picture was too much for her to take.

“Hermione, what’s wrong, dear?!” Emma said hugging her daughter gently; Hermione hugged her back and her crying increased.

“W-Why did h-he do that to me? W-What have I ever done to him? I-I was beginning to trust h-him and he reward me w-with that?” Hermione said between sobs, and her mother comforted her.

“Shush, shush; it's alright; don't talk, just cry and release what's inside you” she hugged her for full ten minutes until her cry subsided, and was replaced by silent sobs.

“Now, tell me what's troubling you” Emma asked her calmly, and Hermione began to speak uninterrupted; she told her mother about the second assassination attempt that was carried out by Harry himself and his snide remarks then; she told her about Lydia's death and her miraculous survival; she then mentioned their catching of Harry inside the perimeter of the police station not forgetting to mention the odd items they have confiscated from him; she told her then about his queer escape; finally, she mentioned her recent encounter with him at the door of her apartment; and his polite persuasion, and his furious departure.

Emma listened intently to every word her daughter said; she was stunned and couldn't make heads or tails of it, for it seemed to be so … controversial. First he saved her, and then he tried to kill her. Now, he addressed her politely after his snide remarks five days ago. If she didn't know it is real life she would've thought that it was the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde; his acts were completely conflicted.

“Hermione, I- … It is truly horrible; I never thought that Harry could be an assassin” she said in a shock; Hermione smiled dimly and replied “That makes us two; I know how you feel mum, same as I did that night” then sadness hovered over her face again “I-I thought he was different from the others, I felt it; and he seemed so intent in finding what he wants; he even helped me with information I never even dreamed of, the exact location of the criminals; but then, in that ominous night, he told me that all that help he gave to me was only to catch me off-guard ……… Why? Why should I always suffer? Why can't I find someone I can trust?”

Hermione began to sob again, and her mother sat clueless beside her. She then hugged her gently and began to speak soothingly “Hermione, I'm really sorry for you; but I should urge you not to stand helpless. Life taught me that happiness always comes after suffering”

“When?!!” Hermione exclaimed in mix of frustration and sob “When?!! I have suffered for so long, and no hint of happiness has yet appeared”

“Happiness comes after hardship; you have to work on it yourself to gain it” her mother looked at her with a significant look “Which means that you have to carry on with you search of that Potter”

“But where should I start from? He left no trace when he escaped”

“He left more than one thing … Have you already forgotten about his weaponry?” Emma replied calmly; and a glint of hope shined in Hermione's eyes “Yes …  Mum; I can't think of living without your help”

“Just don't make a habit of it; you are a big girl yourself, and you can take care of yourself without the aid of an old woman like me” Emma and Hermione laughed together, before the former continued her statement “Now, I think you are tired because of all what happened; why don't you sleep a bit? I'll knock you up early in the morning”

“I think I will; thanks mum” Hermione kissed her mother on the cheek before going to freshen up; Emma exited the bedroom and returned to the living room only to find her husband in still watching the TV although his mind was definitely elsewhere. When he saw her, he got up and asked her firmly.

“So …” he said “What’s the verdict?”

Emma stood silent for a second before replying “Guilty of lack of judgment”

\-----------------------------------

“Hola”

“It's me” Our mysterious caller answered with his usual remark; and waited for a minute before he heard the usual voice of his contact.

“Speak” the firm voice said as usual, and the caller swallowed hard before replying.

“It's that Potter; he mysteriously escaped from custody”

“WHAT?!” the firm voice said madly “How can that be? And when did it happen?”

“Five days ago” the caller whispered hoarsely, ad he could hear the voice from the other side raging with madness

“FIVE DAYS?!” the voice said enraged “Five days and you didn't care to tell me any earlier?!”

“I would've done that if you didn't keep me in the dark during the whole situation now taste your own medicine” the caller gained a little confidence because of his last statement; but it has evaporated quickly when the voice answered back with more confidence.

“Taste my own medicine, you say. How about I let you taste something else? Like the punishment for treason, for instance?”

The caller's heart fell to his feet, and he replied with a quivering voice “I'm a valuable contact, and you don't have any clue against me; you can't do this”

“Oh, you think so? Money can buy anyone, you know; and it was the reason you agreed on 'helping' with this matter after all” the voice said sarcastically “And don't talk about the lack of evidence, if you are thick enough to think that I wouldn't record our phone calls then it's your problem” the voice added, and the called was about to faint.

“You wouldn't dare …” the caller retorted weakly, and the voice interrupted “Oh really?! Just think of the reaction of your colleagues when they find that one of their own is an insider; and for whom? For Muerte, no less” the voice laughed darkly before adding “It's a situation I don't envy you for; but it will be pleasurable to witness nonetheless”

The caller felt the world spin, and he know that he was cornered; so he spoke in defeat “What do you want?”

The voice got firm again when replying “I want you to aid Granger in her hunt for Potter; this muggle is so thick that she thought that she is chasing the right person; it will create a great diversion for our grand plan”

“Then?” the caller said as he felt that it was not everything.

“Nothing else, you just help her until she fulfils our needs; then watch her when we get dispose of her … and her team”

The voice hanged up; and the caller stood there thinking about the pit he threw himself into it willingly; and wished if he could turn back the time …

\--------------------------------

A month has passed since the encounter between Harry and Hermione; and with Harry's forced hiding he felt like he was going to explode. He busied himself with remote intelligence, business reviews, and his brand new endurance training; Tatsuya originated a new series of training techniques that could up his skill and endurance to skyrocketing limits, they include the aura meditation for magical endurance, heavy weight push-ups to maintain muscles in his already-lean body and hanging pull-ups for physical endurance, and a new Iaido form. But since he has lost his sword to the muggle police he cannot practice the new style; moreover, he couldn't stop thinking about his sensei's reaction about the recent … misplacement.

_'He will skin me alive'_ Harry thought as he finished his push-up number two hundred, and Dick chose this moment to barge into Harry's office.

“Sir, I found it … Oh-my-God!” Dick's jaw dropped when he saw the handstand his superior was performing … on his thumbs.

“Dick!! Haven't I told you before not to interrupt me during training hours?” Harry stated in annoyance as he stood up on his feet and summoned a towel off the rack “Now, what brings you here? I hope it is good news”

“Definitely sir; I got the solution for that magnetic field; my mom sent these papers” he handed a bundle of papers he was holding to Harry “Which contains the exact operation method of the EMPA”

“Brilliant; but have you considered the option of magic incorporation?”

“Of course, sir; and I've run these patterns into a simulator, and it showed that magic has indeed been incorporated; but it was only for directing the magnetic waves not to alter it”

“Good catch” Harry said in sheer excitement “When can you remove this annoying field, then?”

Dick's face twisted in sorrow before answering “Unfortunately, I need to study the strength of the field first before trying to remove it; or else something bad might happen”

“Not another delay!” Harry exclaimed in frustration “What do you need now?”

“Nothing fancy, sir; just placing these sensors” he pulled out a small device and a sheet of paper out of his pocket, and handed them to Harry “The sensors will estimate the exact strength and charge of the field before emitting the counter-wave; we need ten of them to be placed into these places” he unfolded the paper which shows the magnetic field along with some dots “These dots represent the weak points of the field, we need to place a sensor in each point; some of the points are outside the precinct and some of them in”

“I will take care of the outdoor sensors; Ron and Sofia will take care of the rest”

Dick felt shock at the statement “But, sir! You’re wanted by muggle police! Why don't you send Vlad?”

“No!” Harry replied firmly “I will do it myself, it is my weaponry that is at stake after all”

“Roger, sir; just give me some time to examine the devices thoroughly”

“How much time do you need?” Harry asked

“Thirty minutes, give or take”

“Well then, during that time I will drop by the hospital and meet Ginny”

\-----------------------------------

Ginny picked up her coat and handbag before closing her locker after finishing the night shift “Okay then …” she addressed her friend Alicia “See you tomorrow”

“OK, girlfriend” Alicia replied “Take care of prince charming for me”

Ginny rolled her eyes and muttered “Whatever …”, then walkout out of the main doors. She tightened the coat around her body as a cold breeze blown up; she took only two steps before hearing someone calling her.

“Psst; Ginny” she turned around only to find Harry waving at her discretely from the alley entrance “Come here” he said to her and went deep into the alley; she hesitated in following him but then made up her mind and went into the alley with her hand tightened around her concealed wand; finally when she came near him and saw him up close, she was astonished by the tired look on his face.

“Harry, are you alright? What is happening? And what is all that rubbish about you murdering Lydia?”

“I'm fine, and I know that what you are hearing is all rubbish, but you cannot convince the muggle that it is so without exposing the magic involved”

“Why? What happened?” Ginny asked in concern; and Harry sighed deeply before answering “I got framed by the death eaters”

“What?! How?!” she exclaimed in anxiety.

“It seems that it was either a metamorphmagus, or they have put their hands on some bits of me … and used a polyjuice potion”

“Polyjuice potion! Harry … Have you been careless lately?”

“No, but you can't expect me to walk around the magical alleys without anyone bumping into me. Anyway, I didn't come here to discuss this matter; I only wanted check upon you and to inform you that I will place additional ward to the hospital because the death eaters are getting bolder in their attacks” he completed his statement, and she could feel his body tense with anger.

“Whatever you say Harry; you are the head of the Order after all, and you know what is best for the situation down here” she said calmly, and then hugged him “Just don't let their acts affect your rational judgment”

He hugged her back and said with a trembled voice “I know, it's just that I-I hate it when they are targeting defenseless innocents; I can't help but to get angry”

She broke the hug and looked him in the eyes intently “It is because they are cowards, Harry; and cowards are always attacking those who are beneath them, and avoiding their equals and those who are stronger”

“I know; and that's why they have to be stopped; for the sake of the people, they need to be stopped immediately” he sighed deeply again, and looked at Ginny with a smile “I know that you are off now and you need to rest for some time, so don't let me stand in your way; I will place the wards and go on with some other business”

“Okay, if you need anything don't hesitate to call; I will be at the McLadens; I live there now so I can keep a close eye on Pierce and Sherry”

“Good thing” he nodded at her, and she waved goodbye before heading back to the street. She walked toward the bus stop as she always does when she want to visit her muggle friends; and she quickly became quite fond of their way of travel. It took her thirty minutes to reach the residential area and ten minutes of walking until she came to the McLadens'; when she reached the door she pulled out the keys from her handbag; since the funeral, Pierce's physical condition was constantly improving, but his emotional breakdown was healing; he isolated himself from everybody, friends and colleagues, and if it wasn't for Ginny and Hermione's check up on the house he might starve himself to death.

“I'm home” she said as she entered, only to be greeted with the crawling Sherry who crawled out of her play room.

“Hello, little cutie” she picked her up and gave her a gentle hug “Let's go to your daddy, shall we?” she walked to Pierce's room and knocked the door gently.

“Whoever is out there, don't enter?” Pierce shouted from behind the door in a dark tone that became a habit of his for the last month. Ginny was expecting that, of course; but she didn't expecting it to last that long; she opened the door to the bed room and stepped in cautiously; it was dim inside but she can still make out the silhouette of Pierce setting on the bed. She reached out for the lights, and the whole room was bright.

“I told you not to enter” Pierce said with dark tone and a vacant stare. Ginny put down Sherry on the floor and walked slowly over to Pierce. She sat beside him and patted him on the back.

“Pierce … Please don't do that to yourself” she pleaded weakly, and his body tensed “Do what?! Destroy myself?! If you didn't notice I am already ruined; my wife is dead, my family ties dissipated … I'm all ruined”

Ginny bit her lower lip to prevent herself from tearing “Pierce, please … Have you forgotten your vow in front of Lydia's coffin?” his breathing stopped when she reminded him of his vow; he looked at her questionably, and she lowered her stare “I will take Sherry for a stroll in the park; if you are feeling yourself all set then join us”

She picked up the giggling Sherry and walked out of the room feeling Pierce's gaze upon her back; she didn't mind it and addressed Sherry gently “Now, let's dress you for an outing; let me check your nappy first”

She took her time changing Sherry's diapers and dressing her properly; and when she finished, she looked at the little beauty that was looking at her innocently “Alright lovely; time for our stroll … Upsy daisy” she picked up the little girl and put her on her shoulder facing back; then she felt her trying to reach something at her back, so she turned backwards only to be startled by the standing Pierce who was leaning comfortably at the door frame.

“Good Lord; Pierce … You startled me, when did you arrive here?”

He shrugged his shoulders and answered “A couple of minutes ago … You know, I never knew that you are good with the babies; Sherry has already developed a liking of you”

“Well … It’s Woman’s instinct, you know” she answered vaguely; then tried to divert the conversation “So, what brings you here? Have you thought about what I've just told you?”

“Well …” he replied hesitantly “I realized how dishonest and self-centered I was; I’ve never been a man to my word and I've totally been a washout; and I didn't affect myself only, but I also dragged all my friends along with me. Ginny, I'm sorry; do you accept my apology”

“Actually …” Ginny gave a devilish smile “It is not me whom you should be apologizing to” she handed him his daughter who laughed stretched her arms joyfully to her father “Princess here is the one deserving your humble apology”

He smiled at the bundle of joy in his arms and hugged her tenderly “I’m sorry, dear” he muttered to her and embraced her silently for a minute before looking at the waiting Ginny “So, where are we going again?”

\----------------------------------

“Bloody tiring” Harry mumbled and wiped his sweat as he finished erecting the last ward around the hospital “But now I can be more comfortable; thank God that I can erect it from this remote alley, or many unwanted encountered would take place”

He pulled his coat collar up and disapparated from the site to the apparition point near the HQ. He paced quickly toward the HQ itself. As soon as he entered through the main door, he jogged toward the intelligence hall and pushed the door open

“Sir …” Dick exclaimed in excitement “Everything is ready”

“Good, now hand it to me” Harry extended his hand demanding, and dick handed him a small bag “This bag contains the devices, the operation manual, and the map for the planting locations; every device has been rigged with a timed unconjuring spell that will be automatically activated after it finishes its function. I took my time adjusting the power and the duration of the counter-wave using newly developed bio-chipsets; I also added a concealment charm for every device”

Harry raised an eyebrow in amazement “I see that you didn't spare any expenses in utilizing the new funds”

Dick smiled but didn't reply; and Harry continued seriously “I will be on my way now; contact Ron and Sofia and tell them to meet me at the alley behind the police station immediately”

“Roger sir” Dick saluted his superior, and Harry stepped out of the HQ and quickly disapparated from the site. He appeared at the back alley and saw Ron and Sofia already waiting for him.

“God, have I been that slow?!” Harry said in amazement.

“Actually, Dick contacted us before you even got to the headquarters, sir” Sofia said calmly; and Harry looked intrigued “Remind me to recommend you all for the next promotion”

Sofia smiled but didn't comment; and Harry continued “Now, let's get to work; I can't wait to get my weapons back”

Ron and Sofia exchanged a worried look, before Ron spoke “Harry … I have to tell you something; it is not good though …” Harry looked at his best mate with concern, before the latter spoke up again “Hermione took off with your sword and wand”

“WHAT?!” Harry yelled in fury; and shook Ron violently “Where the bloody did she go?! And why didn't you stop her?!”

Ron hardly freed himself from Harry's grasp and replied “I don't know; she said that she was in a hurry; and don't think that I didn't try to stop her, even Sofia here tried … But it was all in vain; and when we checked up for your weaponry in the evidence vault it was been taken by her”

If Harry's eyes were shooting daggers, both aurors would be cut in shred by now; he suppressed his rage in difficulty and spoke up again “No matter; at least it will give us more time to plant the devices properly …” and he pulled the operating manual “And to draw the scheme of the surveillance in the basement level”

\------------------------------------

Sherry laughed excitedly as she shoveled the sand from the sandbox into her pink bucket; and Pierce smiled from his seat at his daughter's happiness “It's a long lost smile; how I missed it …” Ginny said as she walked toward him and handed him a cup of coffee.

“I'm just happy to see my daughter in the sun again; I was truly an idiot to dwell into endless grief” he closed his eyes, and she felt his buried grief trying to get out again “I know that grief will not bring my Lydia back again, and I now that I pulled you down into this senseless issue … I'm sorry”

“Oh, don't be; it is your right to feel sad; she was your wife after all, and you will be coldhearted if didn't; just don't let the grief control your life”

Pierce smiled at her “You speak like you have experienced the same issue” and he mentally cursed himself for being too blunt, especially when he saw the sad look on her face.

“I did” she said weakly “I lost a brother and almost lost my father during an assassination attempt; I also lost my childhood friends for the death eaters … I-I just hate it; every time they appear I lose someone I care for …”

He saw the tears forming in her eyes, and he hugged her gently; she took the cue and began to cry in his chest “Why do the innocents always die?”; she kept crying for ten minutes, and Pierce hugged her more fiercely _'God, I never knew she suffered that much; my loss looks small beside hers'_ her crying was now reduced to sobs; and her jasmine scent reached his nose and intoxicated him.

Finally, Ginny pulled herself away from him, and muttered weakly “I'm … I'm sorry; I just broke down a little bit”

“No need to be …” he looked at her straight in the eyes, and felt like he was drowning into them; he leaned slowly at her, and she did the same. Before any of them make another move Sherry's giggles brought them back to reality.

“Sorry …” muttered Pierce as he leaned back at the chair cursing himself silently _'What are you trying to do?! You have just lost your wife, and she was broken down! I never knew that you are that low to take advantage of a collapsed lady'_

“Pierce! Look!” Ginny's voice pulled him back to reality, and he looked at her in curiosity “Look!” she said again pointing at a direction; he looked at that direction and his eyes widened.

Sherry was on the grass, but the most important thing is that she was standing … Yes, standing; a little shaky but nonetheless standing; she took her first unsteady step, and his heart glowed with happiness.

“Yes, darling; another one for your daddy” Ginny stood up extending her arms to urge Sherry for more steps; and the little girl completed a set of five steps before falling into the open arms of Ginny in a fit of laughter “That's my little sweetheart”

Pierce felt like life has smiled upon him again and looked in gratefulness at Ginny, who was holding his little girl; without her, he would've missed the first steps of his only daughter; which he would not trade for anything in the world.

\---------------------------------

Hermione passed the front gates of Yoshiro's house; she tightened her hand on the plastic bag before ringing the doorbell and she heard a shuffling until a young Japanese woman opened the door “Yes” she asked cautiously.

“I'm Hermione Granger; Yoshiro told me that his grandfather returned yesterday, so I came to see him”

The woman's face brightened “Ah, yes; Akira told me that you will come; please … come in”; she guided her through the entry hall into the living room.

“Please, have a seat” the young woman ushered her toward a near seat before picking up a teapot and pouring her some green tea “I am Yoshiro Sanae by the way; I'm Akira's wife”

“Pleased to meet you, Sanae” Hermione greeted back “Is Yoshiro's grandfather here?”

“Last time I checked up he was asleep, but let me check again; please, make yourself at home” Sanae said as she walked out of the room

Hermione leaned back at the sofa scanning the room 'Modern American style; not bad' she sipped some tea 'Green tea; nice change. It has been a long time since I had a spot of tea, though; when was that last time …' her heart stung as she remembered 'With Harry Potter'; she was pulled out of her thoughts when Sanae stepped in again “He's awake now; let me guide you to him”

They walked through the back garden and she saw a Japanese-style pool house at the end of the garden “He insisted that Akira change the design of the pool house to match the Japanese style; he cannot tolerate an American style room”

“I see …” Hermione said absentmindedly; she was too immersed in her thoughts of the theories about the sword. When they reached the pool house Sanae ushered her toward the house “You can enter as he is expecting you; just don't forget to take off your shoes before entering, it's a Japanese tradition to do so; and I reckon you know your way back to the house. We can have a little chat over tea”

“Thank you, but I don't want to trouble you more than that; I will be on my way after I finish my business here” Hermione said sincerely.

“Whatever suites you, miss Granger-san” Sanae nodded politely before heading back to the house, leaving Hermione all alone in front of the Pool house door. She stood still for a minute before making up her mind and she knocked on the door.

“Come in” a firm voice came from inside; and Hermione slid the door slowly revealing the inside of the room. It was truly designed as a Japanese house, and for a second she thought herself in Japan. In the middle of the room, there was an aged Japanese man sitting on the ground with a teapot on a low oriental table in front of him.

“You must be detective Granger; welcome” the elder man said in a firm yet friendly tone.

“I presume that you are Yoshiro's grandfather” she said as she eyed the elder Japanese man.

“Yes, I am Yoshiro Shin; the elder of Yoshiro family, and a historian too. Akira told me that you have obtained a Japanese katana that interested him”

“Yes; but first can you tell me anything about the Japanese swords” she said as she clutched the plastic bag tightly.

Shin didn't change his setting stance as he picked up a cup pouring some green tea into it before handing it to Hermione “Well, Japanese swords are not one type; some are used for offense and some are used for defense; some are suitable for strong warriors, and the others are suitable for swift attack; even the swords of the same type are different in size and shape …” he poured himself some tea before looking back at Hermione firmly “If you need me to help you, Miss Granger, I need to have a look at the sword first”

She looked at him for a second before making up her mind “Very well …”

The cup fell off Shin's hand as she unveiled the sword “Whe … Where did you get this from?” he asks her in hoarse voice

“From a criminal” she answers casually; and he shook his head firmly “Impossible! no criminal can wield this sword … May I?” she handed him the sword, and he unsheathed it skillfully; his eyes caught a glimpse of the Japanese characters carved on the blade “It is indeed the Phoenix Katana; then the hero of the two worlds has appeared at last”

Hermione looked at him in utter confusion “Care to explain? Because I'm feeling a bit lost” he took a minute admiring the sword's craftsmanship before sheathing again and looking back at Hermione.

“I told you I'm a historian, Miss Granger; Japanese historians' job includes taking records of recent and old history, common folklores … and prophecies” he picked up his fallen cup and poured some tea “I love my job, because it lets me encounter many interesting subjects; and some of these subjects may contain a bit of truth …” he pointed up at the sword and continued “Like this sword …”

“I still don't understand the relation” Hermione said with more confusion handing him her cup; and he poured her some tea before continuing “One day I was at the temple library reading some ancient scrolls; and one scroll which stumbled upon caught my attention” he looked “at her with a significant look “It was talking about a certain prophecy commonly known as 'The End Of The World' …”

“Not that hogwash again” Hermione said in irritation “If it's just another silly talk, I will …”

“My thoughts was just as you then …” he interrupted her firmly “But now you brought me the proof that the information I got was not 'silly'; it is this sword” he held the sword in front of her face.

“Didn't you take notice that you haven't told me anything about the sword yet? I'm beginning to suspect that you have anything to tell at all” she said in rudely, and he shot her a glare “I will come to this point if you didn't have the habit of interrupting me. Now, what I was saying is that when I found that scroll, I didn't gave it much of a thought; but due to that lack of any other interesting information I returned to it and read it thoroughly; and what it was containing was truly troubling” he said it in a tone that attracted Hermione's full attention “What does it say?” she said in interest

“Its words were written in Japanese poetry style, but I will translate it and simplify it for you. It says that the gates of hell will open, and evil will rule the earth for a decade burning and slaughtering and enslaving; no force on earth will match the armies of evil and their Dark Lord …” Hermione felt her heart grip at the grim picture “But then, when all is about to be lost, a hero will emerge; the wielder of the Phoenix Katana; the savior of the two worlds”

“Two worlds?! What two worlds?!” Hermione questioned in confusion; but Shin answered with a shrug “I don't know; I'm only telling you what that scroll contained. Although I have given it a thought but didn't come up with any answer”

“You said that our world will descend to darkness…” Hermione said thinking “So it can be count as the one world; but the other world … Can it be the world this evil came through it?”

“May be …” Shin said casually “But what is most importantly, is that this sword cannot be wielded by other than its original owner; who is none other than the Savior”

“But I told you it was found in the possession of a criminal …” she said stubbornly.

“And I am telling you that this sword is the Savior's sword” he picked up the sword firmly “But that doesn't mean it cannot be stolen … Or maybe that criminal isn't a criminal at all”

“Oh please” Hermione snapped “He killed an innocent and tried to kill me, and you say he isn't …” she stopped herself from completing the sentence and tried to calm herself down “I'm sorry, it's just that this subject is getting on my nerve. Can we talk about something else please?”

“As you wish; but I thought you wanted to know about the sword”

“Yes, so speak up about the sword please; I'm done with this argument. Can you tell me the origin of the sword so we can track down the true owner?”

Shin looked at her for a second before picking up the sword and unsheathe it; he took his time studying its carvings “This crafting style is Okinawan; and original too” he looked at her significantly “I told you that the swords are divided into types; attack, defense, strong and swift …”

“Yes” she replied confusingly

He leaned forward “This sword matches all types …”

“How come?” she asks interestingly; and he handed her the sword “You see this; these carvings are the fingerprint of the sword; each katana has its own fingerprint, much like the humans; and these fingerprints determine the main use of the katana”

She looked at him, then examined the sword “And this sword's fingerprint …”

“Matches all, as I said” he leaned forward again and pointed at several points “Look here, here, and here; this rippling is mainly used in offensive swords to ensure clean slicing; but the length of the sword shows that it can be used in defense; Offensive swords are much shorter that the defensive ones. Also, take note of the weight of the sword; it is light; very light for a normal Japanese sword, yet it is unbreakable”

“And why is that?”

“Because the steel used in forging the sword is a mixture of Japanese and European steel; which is truly remarkable” he took a sip from his cup “This Katana is suitable for a hero indeed …”

“As much as I like to praise your punctilious description; this information doesn't get me anywhere” Hermione said as her stubbornness returned “I still don't know much about the owner”

“On the contrary, it has told me much” Shin retorted “From the style of the sword, you can know the character of the wielder; he is agile and strong, as the blade says; and he is experienced in many offensive and defensive styles. If I was you, I would look for a middle aged man; because it will take time for a person to learn such techniques; unless he has been training intensively since young age”

“I see; so our objective is simply a cocktail” Hermione said in a scornfully; and Gnezo shot her another glare.

“I would be more respectful when I talk about a warrior like that; not many Japanese swordsmen have ever achieved such feat, and the only ones who ever achieved it were old”

Hermione felt ashamed at her attitude even though she couldn't take in the whole concept “Sorry; I shouldn't have ridiculed your knowledge”

Shin's expressions soften as he replied “No problem; just learn not to think less of other people's cultures. And in the mean time I advise you to look for the owner of the sword and win him to your side; I wouldn't dare to cross swords with him if I were you”

“I will keep that in mind” Hermione retorted quickly “Thank you for everything, Mr. Yoshiro; I will be on my way”; she thanked the elder man and walked out of the pool house toward the main. Upon her departure she bumped into Sanae, who was on her way to check upon them.

“Leaving so Soon?” Sanae asked with a smile.

“Yes; I got what I wanted, so no need to bother you anymore” retorted Hermione quickly.

“There was no bother” Sanae replied “In fact I hoped if we can have a cup of tea together”

“I'm afraid I can't; I have to run the data in the police station; may be other time”

“Okay then; say hi to Akira for me”

“Alright” Hermione shook hand with the young woman and walked out of the house.

\-----------------------------------

“Alright, all set” said Harry as he finished setting the last sensor outside the police precinct; he got up and double checked his work before sighing in relieve “Time to check what the others did”; he pressed the call button on the invisible headphone, and a hologram of Ron appeared in front of him.

“Y-s Har-y?” Ron said as the static interrupted his call.

“What's happening, why are you breaking?”

“I d-n't kn-w, m-st be t-e ef-ect of th- ma-na-tic fie-d” Ron said as the static worsened.

Harry sighed in frustration “Like it is not enough. Anyway, I was just checking on your progress, but it looks like you have to brief me at the headquarters”

“Wh-t ev-r y-u s-y -arry …” and the call ended.

“Damn, one problem after another; how typical …” Harry said in anger as he checked the sensor for the last time; and suddenly, his sixth sense shot up, and he turned around quickly …

“Freeze!” but not quickly enough as an FBI agent was pointing his gun at him.

“So, one of Johnson's henchmen has sneaked up on me, remarkable” Harry sneered at the agent not minding the gun pointed at him.

“Shut up, Potter; you have no right to say anything” the agent yelled in anger.

“Oh really! What about your usual saying 'You have the right to remain silent', is it history now?” Harry stood confidently as he sneered at the agent.

“Just shut up …” the agent yelled at him, and then pressed the side of his headphone “This is Agent Wilson, come in” and he heard only static “This is Agent Wilson; anybody respond”; still no answer “Damn, where is everybody”; then suddenly, a loud screech came out of the headphone “Mother …” and forcibly removed the faulty headphone and got distracted for a second, Which was enough for Harry to take control …

“Sorry, old chap” he said as he leaped beside the dumbfounded agent “Nothing personal” he punched him squarely in the stomach causing him to lean in pain, then pushed his open palm into his chest “Just business … _Offendo_ ” the agent flew five meters before colliding with the wall and fainted; Harry then checked up the agent's vitals before calling on Ron.

“Ron, answer me”

“-arry; wh-t is –t, ma-e?” Ron said as the static shredded his sentence.

“I got an FBI agent down; I don't know where the bloody hell he came from; but he tried to arrest me and I resisted. Give him a fresh memory before calling for help”

“Ok-y, H-rry”

“I'm returning to headquarters now … Over and out” Harry said and glanced at the unconscious agent “Sorry, fellow; I know you are doing your job; but I need to do mine too” then he disapparated. Unfortunately, Hermione was near the police station at that time; and she took this very alley to reach the basement level quickly. She accidentally stumbled upon the broken body of the FBI agent, so she ran toward him.

“You there; are you okay?” she called him but he didn't answer; so she slapped him lightly on the face “Wake up!”

“Wha- … Ouch, I can't move” the agent woke up in pain; and Hermione looked at him suspiciously.

“What are you doing here?” she asked him suspiciously; and he looked disoriented as he glanced at her.

“Where is here?” he asked back; but then it hit him “Yes, I remember … I was patrolling the entrance area, and heard a commotion coming from inside the alley, so I checked it up; and It was true; there was somebo-ouch …” a pain yelp cut his statement; but Hermione who was hyper didn't let him be.

“Who? Who was it?” she urged him to resume, and he did “It was Potter …”

Hermione's eyes widened at the revelation “Potter?!” she exclaimed “He came near the precinct; how bold” her eyebrows knitted “he is either foolish, or …” she tightened her grip around the plastic bag as the other option came to her.

“What? I don't understand … ouch” the agent said in pain as he fighting against a faint.

“Don't be …” she muttered before raising her voice “So ... Why didn't you detain him or at least call reinforcements?”

“I tried to call; but the headphone didn't work and screeched into my ear causing me to be distracted for a second, then …” he stopped talking and a confused look hovered over his face.

“What?!” Hermione yelled in frustration “Don't stop now; tell me what happened”

“I don't remember” he said in confusion “I felt a sharp pain and then fell unconscious”

“Nothing?! Can't you remember anything at all?!” she urged him hoping for a slip of tongue from Harry.

“I do remember one thing …” the agent said as he squeezed his mind “Before I fall unconscious, I heard him yell one word … Offendo”

“Offendo?!” Hermione looked at him in confusion “What does it mean?” and he shared her the same confusion “I don't know. Now if you please I will faint …”, and his head fell back.

“FBI … How tough” she muttered sarcastically while standing up “Wait here, I will bring you some help, tough guy”

“No need, we are here already …” she heard the voice of Ron and she turned around and saw him standing by the L-bend with the investigator Laura by his side; and he was wearing an irritable look on his face “Hermione, what are you doing here”

Hermione looked angry at him “You must praise me for being here at the moment, not to scold me; Potter was here for some reason and attacked this agent before fleeing somehow …”

“I know …” Ron interrupted her “We have received the agent's call; why do you think we are here, then?” then he remembered something “By the way; I think the entrance in the other side”

“I know; but I want to enter via the maintenance door” she said it coldly; and Ron looked at her scolding “Hermione; we are not allowed to exit via this door”

She exhaled in frustration as she replied “I know; but I want to return the evidence to the vault without Johnson's boys breathing down my neck. How do think I got it out of the station in the first place?”

Ron stood speechless looking at her with accusing eyes; and she rolled her eyes and continued “Look, Ron. I know that ignoring the rules is not good; but if I kept following the rules Johnson sets, than there would not be any progress in the case” then she gave him a significant look “And if I didn't smuggle out these, then I would not need to come into this alley, and I wouldn't have discovered him lying in here”

“Whatever …” Ron said indifferently “And what progress are you talking about”

“That … We will talk about in the office and AFTER I arrange my thoughts about it; I will tell you only one thing, he said he heard Potter shout 'Offendo' before falling unconscious” Hermione retorted, and then headed straight to the back entrance before the perplexed Ron can ask any further questions; she returned the evidence to the vault and went straight to her office. The first she did when she sat down is pouring down all her thoughts onto paper.

Information:

1- The sword found in Potter's possession is called the Phoenix sword.

2- It has been made in Okinawa, Japan.

3- It can be used for both offense and defense.

4- The true wielder of this sword (Who is yet to be known) is the savior of the world.

5- The wooden stick is still a mystery and its owner is unknown.

6- The phoenix carvings on the stick indicate that the two objects are related; so the owner of them is probably the same one.

7- Harry Potter has been sighted near the precinct, yet his intentions are still unknown.

8- The agent heard Potter yell 'Offendo' before falling unconscious.

To Do List:

1- Search for the original owner of the sword.

2- Run a thorough examination on the wooden stick to unveil its true purpose.

3- Arrest Potter on sight (Warrant Obtained).

4- Discover Potter's reason for appearing near the precinct.

5- Look for the meaning of 'Offendo'.

She pushed the note aside as she finished writing, and turned on her computer “Let's begin with the easiest …”

\--------------------------------------------

“Bloody hell Ron; can't you do something right for once?” Harry pounded his desk in anger as he yelled at his best mate.

“I didn't waste time wondering, if that what you mean” Ron retorted with equal anger “She simply entered the alley at the same minute you left the scene; and she told me that she took this detour to reach the evidence vault and return her 'borrowed' evidence; in other words, your wand and sword”

Harry looked in silent irritation at his friend and second in command before speaking “It's my fault then; is that what you are implying? I assume that he never said anything important”

“Wrong again” Ron said indifferently “He told her that you yelled 'Offendo' before he fell down; which I don't know what the bloody hell it means; care to tell me?”; Harry's jaw tensed as he heard the statement; and he fell back to his seat thinking deeply.

“I asked a question, didn't I?” Ron's voice pulled Harry back to reality; and he reassumed his angry expressions “None of your business”; Ron got angry at Harry's way of addressing him “I see that your anger got the best of you, Harry, which is not a good thing; call me if you cooled down. I brought you the scheme of the surveillance cameras in the basement floor as you requested”

Harry watched as Ron threw the map on the desk before walking out of the office in anger, and then went into deep thought. He never encountered a person that got him into such difficulties since the days of Voldemort, but this muggle detective has proved to be so witty and stubborn. He had to forgive her though, because he knew that she was being 'misdirected'. Nevertheless, he needed to regain her trust somehow; the main problem was that he had been framed deeply to the point of no return, and only a miracle would restore the relations to its former strength.

He shook his head irritably “First I need to clear my mind and wait until the time is up for weapon collection, and only training will do so” he said as he glanced at the horizontal pole; so he jumped up and hanged himself upside down by his legs, and began stretching …

\-------------------------------

“Two hours, and no bloody thing” Hermione muttered in frustration as she shut her computer down “So much for an easy task”; she pulled the surveillance photo of Harry, the only photo they found; and placed it in front of her “What are you doing now, Potter; tell me so I can stop you and put you out of your misery”; she looked deeply into his emerald green eyes; those eyes that showed warmth and caring, those deceitful eyes; how much she liked them, and how much she hates them now.

“I somewhat liked you, you know that?” she spoke to the picture “And you threw that in my face; I will not feel any comfort until I see you behind the bars”; she kept staring at the photo for some time, then the phone ringing startled her; she picked up the speaker and yelled “Bloody yes”

“Detective Granger … This is Yoshiro from the lab” the quivering voice of the lab specialist came out of the speaker.

“Sorry, Yoshiro; I'm not in the mood right now”

“But detective; I think we found a match in the handwritings”

Hermione never answered but paced quickly to the elevator and to the lab “Yes Yoshiro; what have you found”

Yoshiro looked at her in astonishment “You came so quickly. Anyway, I think there is a good match between two statements in the business letter and the file” he pointed at a sentence in the business letter “Look here” then pointed at a sentence in the file “And here, and observe the curves of the letters; much similar”

Hermione looked at both sentences, and noticed that the matching sentence in the file contains the words 'Perform Shock and Awe tactic' in it; and she remembered it was the same sentence Harry told her when he handed her the folder “Yes” she said “It s a match”

Yoshiro nodded “That's right. And by the way, I've read the folder, and I think that it has not been written by a thug, but a master tactician maybe; although the style is more like CIA's”

The statement hit Hermione in the mind _'Of course; that explains the lack of information about him; he must be working undercover for the CIA, or maybe the MI5. But that doesn't explain his murder attempt'_

“Detective Granger” Yoshiro said cautiously pulling her out of her thoughts “I think your cellphone is ringing”

She pulled out her phone and pressed the accept button “Yes”

“Hey girl; it's me” a familiar voice came out of the phone; and Hermione beamed with happiness “Pierce! How are you doing?”

“Very fine; thanks to a red haired angel called Ginny; by the way how is your investigation doing?”

“Not good” he said irritably “Every path I take is a dead end; but hey, we found a match in the handwritings”

“Cool; and I have a couple of good news; the first is that I hooked up with the police system and prepared the sting for our bouncer”

“Really, very good indeed; and the other news?”

Pierce's got exited as he spoke up “Sherry took her first steps …”

“What?! That's really brilliant Pierce; I wish I was there to see it”

“Don't worry; wait for five days then I will come and bring her with me”

“You don't need to come, Pierce; you still haven't healed completely” Hermione said in concern.

“I’m fully healed; Hermione” Pierce said firmly “And I got bored of sitting with nothing to do”

“Whatever you say, Pierce; just don't stress yourself”

“You know me Herms … Ciao” Pierce hanged up, and Hermione looked at the phone absently.

“Well, I think I have nothing to do for now; home, wait for me”

\-----------------------------------

Harry appeared at the dark corner of the evidence vault; the ward and the magnetic field finally came down and they could apparate to in and out of the precinct again. He stood silently for a minute trying to hear anything, but he heard nothing.

“Good … Now to action”; he waited until the surveillance camera turned left before pushing it wandlessly so it will permanently face upward; he then walked slowly toward the locker where his weapons are; he wandlessly unlocked the locker and sighed in relief when he saw his sword and wand in place “Finally, I’ve got tired of wandless magic”; he pulled out a miniature wooden sword off his pocket and pointed his wand at it muttering “Engorgio”; and the sword enlarged he placed in the locker and closed it not forgetting to clean all fingerprints “Next stop, headquarters”

He apparated back to the rally point and paced to the headquarters only to find Ron waiting for him.

“So, have you got it?” Ron asked anxiously, and Harry felt awkward because of the impoliteness he showed when talking to him earlier.

“Ron, can we talk at my office please?” Harry asked before walking toward the aforementioned room followed by confused Ron.

“What Harry?” Ron asked as they entered the office and Harry stood for a second before speaking “Ron, look; I am sorry at my attitude before; I just too angry to think and …”

Ron interrupted him calmly “Harry, please, do not apologize; I know about the whole situation; and I know that losing your weapons and laying low for a long period has caused you much irritation”

Harry felt gratitude toward his best mate “I will never forget your kindness, Ron”

“Oh, Harry” Ron said “What are friends for? I just want one thing” Harry looked at him in confusion “What is the spell you used to knock out the agent; Sofia checked the spell patterns, and it is not like anything we saw”

Harry thought for a second then answered “Well; what I'm going to say must not go beyond this room” Ron attention increased at the warning “Remember when I told you about my voyage to Japan; during that time I discovered a way to use magic in hand-to-hand combat; and by the aid of Sensei I developed a new type of magic spells, and I called it 'Close Quarter Magic'“ Ron eyes widened at the revelation “Some of these spells are used via the sword, like the elemental spells; and some of them are used by bare hands or the whole body; and the spell I used today is of the latter category; it is called 'Offendo', the knockout spell; look at this”

Harry conjured a training manikin out of thin air “Watch closely … _Offendo_ ” the manikin flew backwards and shattered as it hit the wall; and Ron looked flabbergasted at what remained from the manikin then he looked at Harry “Harry, this is bloody brilliant”

“I know” Harry said smiling “And the best thing is that our enemy doesn't know about it; I can train you if you want”

“Really?!” Ron said in excitement “I would be very grateful. What should I do?”

Harry looked at him from up to down “First you need to maintain a high level of agility. In other words, stop eating a family meal”

Ron pouted “That I cannot do; I think I will stick with normal magic”

Harry laughed at his best friend “Whatever suites you; just remember that the offer is still open”

\---------------------------------

Five days have passed with nothing significant except of Johnson's fury over the attack on his agent he vowed to hunt down Potter and bring him swift justice; and in his rage he authorized 'shoot-on-sight' for all his units. Hermione, on the other hand, was sitting in her office reviewing her notes on the Potter case when the door opened.

“Hiya, Miss Holmes” Pierce stepped into the office holding the wobbling Sherry in his hand.

“Hello; welcome back. Hello there, little angel” Hermione picked up the laughing child and gave her a kiss on the cheek “Pierce, you shouldn't have brought her here; she will get bored and tired”

“Nah, she is having so much fun pissing off the feds; she bit three of them so far”

Hermione laughed at the image and retorted “Like father like daughter, I must say”

“You said it” he said laughing, then assuming a serious face “So, how is the progress; I assume you never sat down idly?”

“You said it yourself; and the progress is very good so far, by comparing the signature at the end of the business letter with some of the checks that has been forwarded to the company; we found out the bank account of Harry Potter”

“Cool” Pierce eyes gleamed “I hope you asked for permission to freeze the son of a bitch account”

Hermione pouted “I asked, but the bank refused to do so; they said that his accounts are too much valuable for their business”

“You mean his account” Pierce corrected; and she shook her head “Not a single account; I found out that he has at least seven accounts not counting the offshore accounts, with no less than ten million dollar in each account”

“Seven accounts” Pierce said with widened eyes “And ten million each; means …”

“Seventy million at least” Hermione cut him; and they both fell silent with only Sherry's soft coos sounding, before Pierce spoke up “That means he got more than a mere funding source; he got a funding avalanche”

Hermione nodded at him “The problem is, we need to find him fast before he does anything harmful again” then she remembered something “Yes, let me show you what we have confiscated from Potter. Let's go to the evidence locker, shall we?” the group went to the evidence locker and Hermione walked to the evidence desk.

“Hello Walter; everything is okay today?” she greeted the overweighed officer.

“Yes, detective; who is that with you … Pierce; long time no see, man”

“Same here; I hope you don't mind that I brought my daughter in here; she won't tamper with any evidence, I swear” Pierce stated jokily; and Walter's body shook with laughter “No need to worry, Pierce; I just hope that the little princess won't catch cold in the freezing vault”

“Don't worry; she is strong like her dad” Pierce waved his hand and went after Hermione; she walked until she reached the intended locker and opened it.

“Let's see; you will love it so- … WHAT THE BLOODY?! WALTER WHAT IN GOD'S NAME ARE YOU DOING OUT?! NAPPING?!”

“What is it, detective?” Walter came in running bearing a concerned look; and Hermione bellowed at him “THE SWORD HAS BEEN REPLACED; ARE YOU TOO BLIND TO CHECK THE EVIDENCE BEFORE ACCEPTING IT?!”

“B-But you were that last one who checked it; I swear; no body came after you” he ran back toward his desk to make sure “Yes; you were the last”

“Then how?!” Hermione retorted “I returned the same sword?”

“Hermione, relax; what's done is done …” Pierce calmed her down then pointed at Walter “Although it's a matter of a serious breach”

“But …” she tried to argue; but dropped it and looked defeated “Let's go back” they returned back to their office leaving poor Walter to call for the investigator to check the vault. They reached the third floor only to face Johnson.

“Look who's here … And I was wondering where the stench was coming from”

“I told you to take a bath; but you don't listen to me” Pierce sneered smartly; and Hermione barely held her laughter as she saw the angry expressions on Johnson's face

“Very funny, McLaden; I see that you haven't lost your joker character after all; and what are you doing with that little brat you're holding?”

“This little brat is my baby if you didn't know; and I like to show off with my high quality offspring, so why don't you do the same; you are not a eunuch, are you?” Pierce questioned jeeringly; and Johnson walked out in anger. The group then went into their office and Hermione sat on her desk with pierce in front of her.

“Now tell me” he said “What was that all about?”

She took a deep breath and spoke “That sword was in the possession of Potter when we caught him at the entrance of the station along with a wooden stick; the sword was an oriental one with the words 'Godric Gryffindor' and 'Phoenix Sword' engraved on its blade in English and Japanese respectively. I asked a specialist about the sword and he told me some information regarding it; I wrote it down here if you want to read it” she pushed the note to him “The most important thing is that when I returned, I found a fallen FBI agent deep in the alley behind the station; he told me that he was attacked by Potter and he heard him yelling 'Offendo' before falling unconscious”

“Offendo?” Pierce questioned in confusion; and she answered “It means 'shock' or 'knockout' in latin. Most importantly I just found out that the agent acquired multiple fractures, broken ribs, and a concussion from the attack; and he was not a lightweight …”

Pierce's eyes widened; before a troubled look hovered over his face “So much for a knockout …” he muttered before shaking a finger “And It also means that Potter is not an easy target”

“I know; and he seems to know our moves, which definitely indicates that he got an insider amongst us” Hermione said in troubled voice; and Pierce stared at her with the same troubling look.

“What are we gonna do now?” he asked in concern, and Hermione replied “I think that the best thing we should do is to return to our homes and call it a day; after all we don't have anything to do” Pierce nodded in approval, and they both got to the police parking lot. They went into separate ways; and Hermione got into her car and assumed the driver seat.

“Hermione” she heard a familiar voice calling her from behind; she looked in the mirror only to find Harry looked at her with a firm look; she tried to reach her gun, but she felt an object pressed against the base of her neck.

“Don't move” Harry said warningly; and she froze. Then she dropped her hand beside her and muttered in anger “Okay; you won; kill me now”

Harry didn't change his stance as he spoke “If you know me better; you would not have said that. I am working with you, Hermione; not against you”

“From what I see; you can't be true. So, what brings you here if you are not going to kill me?”

“I'm here to tell you two things” he said casually “One, there is a snitch at your station …”

“We already know” Hermione interrupted “We know that you have a snitch among us be we still haven’t exposed him”

“He is not working for me, Hermione; he is working for Flint” Harry said firmly “And I am trying to expose him myself because he was the one who helped in framing me”

She rolled her eyes and retorted “Whatever; but if you tried to hurt any more innocents, I swear that you will find yourself in Hell in no time”

Harry didn't mind her threat as he continued “The second thing, is that we found how Flint is using the EMPA”

“The what?!” Hermione asked in confusion; and he explained “An Electro-Magnetic Pulse Amplifier; it is a machine they use to knock out the power out of a city block; Flint is using it to disturb the wireless communications; I think you noticed that”

“Yes” she replied absentmindedly “The walky-talky was not functioning properly; but I thought it I was just a malfunction”

“Well; it was not. I have one last advice for you, constant vigilance; Flint will try to attack you again just to hurt me; farewell”

“Wait, what does tha-” she turned around to talk to him; but he has left already; she literally jumped out of her car to catch him up; but there was no trace for him …

\-------------------------------------------

Harry entered the headquarters and found Vlad and Dick in a deep argument “Hey; what is it?”

“We found Rookwood, sir” Vald said firmly, and Harry's eyes gleamed “Where did you find him?” he asked.

“In an abandoned ranch in the outskirts; there are three teams surrounding him already, and an anti-apparition ward is being erected by them; we are waiting for your signal to attack, sir”

“With all due respect sir; I think that we should wait until the death eaters try to capture him before attacking him openly”

“They will not capture him Dick” Harry retorted “They will kill him on the spot in order to prevent us from gaining any Intel; but you are both right”

The aurors looked at him in confusion “How, sir?”

“We will spread a rumor of his whereabouts in Brimstone Alley; and the death eaters will take the bait and try to attack him; and when they do so, we move into action”

“That’s a very clever plan, sir; I'm sure it will work” Dick stated.

“I hope so; in the mean time I want you to hack into the police system; Hermione and Pierce are at home by now; so you can check for information at your leisure”

“Very well sir” Dick said “By the way, sir; Fawkes has brought this …” he handed a parchment to Harry, who scanned it quickly and then smiled “Never mind it; carry on”

“Roger, sir” Dick saluted him and went straight to the intelligence hall. Harry then looked art Vlad and said “You will come with me Vlad to supervise the blockade of the ranch …

\-----------------------------------------

Hermione kept turning in her bed as she couldn't sleep; she checked the clock and found out that it was still 6:00 pm; she tried to have a nap but Harry's words kept coming to her mind; she changed her clothes and went out of the apartment for some air. Then, an idea came to her; so she called Pierce.

“Yes” his sleepy voice came out of the speaker.

“Pierce you lazy bum; are you still asleep until now?” she scolded him

He yawned again before answering “When an infant is jumping over you while napping, how can you get much sleep?”

She giggled a little then assumed a serious voice “I want you to come to the precinct now”

“Now?!” he asked in astonishment.

“Now” she answered firmly before hanging up; half an hour minutes later, she was at her office with Pierce in front of her.

“Now tell me, what is it?” Pierce asked firmly; and she ushered him casually to his computer “check the status of the hacking; or whatever you call it”

He did as she said, and found out that a hacking has occurred few hours before; he looked at her in amazement and asked her “How did you know?”

She shrugged her shoulders and answered “I just had a hunch; I encountered Potter hours ago on my way out of the precinct; I couldn't detain him though, because he was fully armed. I thought that if the hacker was working for Potter, then he already knows that we are not here, and will try to hack in a bit early”

“Good catch, Miss Holmes” he said as he snapped his fingers “Now watch the Wizard in action”

He logged into the computer and opened a series of hacking programs; he then accessed the internet and the programs began to work “Now it's looking for the hacker's IP; short for internet protocol”

“Don't bother explaining; just do it” Hermione interrupted; and he pouted at her “You are no fun; okay then” his fingers worked their way on the keyboard; and he yelled in victory “I'm in; now what do you want; I got only fifteen seconds”

“Try this folder” she pointed at a folder named 'Profiles'; and he opened it “Damn; I must've tripped a hidden alarm; this computer is too protected; time limit is down to five seconds”

“Quick, grab anything” Hermione urged him; and he picked up the very first file with the name 'Leader' after the download is completed he signed off.

Pierce sighed in relief “That was close; I don't think we will ever enter that computer again, or else we will be captured”

“I agree; now let's check that file” she said and he done so; when he opened the file their eyes widened in shock as the picture of Harry Potter appeared with full information about him.

_Name:_ Harry James Potter.

_Alias:_ The-Boy-Who-Lived; The-Savior.

_Nationality:_ British.

_Martial Status:_ Single.

_Physical Description:_ white complexion, dark hair, emerald-green eyes, athlete body, 6'0”, 165 lbs.

_Occupation:_ Auror.

_Rank:_ Senior Auror; First Class.

_Current Assignment:_ Commander of US 1st Battalion.

_Talents:_ DADA expert; wandless offensive; wandless defensive; hand-to-hand combat specialist.

_Reflex Pattern:_ 0.25 out of 1 second.

“Good Lord; I think we stumbled upon a treasure; didn't we Hermione? Hermione?” he called twice; but Hermione didn't answer; her eyes was fixed on the 'Alias' category; and she remembered something …

FLASHBACK

_“I thought it was just folklore; so that why he didn't tell me his name” she said as if she was speaking with herself, and then turned to Ron “Do you know the name of the boy._

_“No” he lied “But I can tell you that he is better known as … The-Boy-Who-Lived”_

END OF FLASHBACK

“It's him …” she muttered absentmindedly; and Pierce looked at her in confusion “What?”

“It's him; he is the orphan” Hermione said; and began to retell the story Harry told her; in the end Pierce went into deep thought before speaking again.

“I think you are right; but something is not adding up; if he was the orphan whose parents got killed, then why would he kill the innocents?”

Hermione thought deeply, but got out with nothing in return “I don't know” she looked back at the screen “Look at the reflex pattern; does any human have such pattern; it is unbelievable; I personally haven't seen him in such speed even when he was supposedly saving me”

“Yeah” Pierce retorted “But then again; he clearly has more than meets the eye” they both sat down reviewing the profile again and again; until they got tired.

“I think we won't get anything out of it; why don't we call it a day and return tomorrow and run a full search” Pierce suggested; and Hermione nodded “Okay”

\-------------------------------------

“So … Potter got you by surprise you say” Flint asked coldly staring at the quivering death eater.

“Yes, Master; as if he was already waiting for us there; one was killed and three were captured; I barely escaped” the death eater answered; and Flint looked at him with burning eyes.

“You better have never returned, failure … _Avada Kedavra infiniti_ ” a series of green rays of light shot out of his wand and hit the death eater squarely in the chest; his limp body hanged for a second before dropping like a ragged doll.

“Nott …” Flint called coldly; and the murky death eater appeared out of thin air “Yes Master”

“Potter is making fun of us; this is not tolerated; and we are about to launch the second phase of the EMPA” Flint stated distantly; and his right-hand bowed and asked “Your orders, master”

“Kill his muggle friends; kill them slowly and painfully; take as many men as you want”

“Aye, my lord …” And Nott disapparated in a second.

\-----------------------------------

Harry entered the HQ while laughing at a joke told by Vlad; and they were interrupted by the panting Dick “Sir …” he said between gasps “Auror Weasley went to the McLadens sir; the alarm ward has been tripped. I tried to catch him but he was gone …”

Harry looked seriously at the Russian auror “Vlad, Rally the team leaders; the events are speeding up and I think that Flint is attacking our muggle friends now; our operation has angered him so much” the he looked distantly “And I feel that our mission is coming to a closure … Now go”

“Yes, sir” Vlad saluted him, and walked out of the HQ; then Harry turned to Dick addressing him “Dick; call Sofia and let her be ready here, at the headquarters; I think we will need her medic skill sooner or later. I will go and catch up on Ron”

“Yes, sir” Dick saluted his commander; who stepped out of the HQ in a hurry.

\-----------------------------------------

“I'm home …” Pierce unlocked the door; he stepped in searching for Ginny and Sherry; but he found nobody “Weird; maybe they gone on a walk”

“McLaden …” a voice came out of the dim corner and startled Pierce; then Ron appeared from the corner, and Pierce sighed in relief “God; Wes, don't sneak up on me; where is Ginny and Sherry”

“I don't know; you can tell me, McLaden” Ron said coldly.

Pierce looked at him confusingly “Why are you so cold? And what's with the formal addressing?”

“Because I discovered that you are so low; I never thought that you would work against your friends. Tell me, how much do you earn from being such a dirty snitch?”

“Ron, what are you talking about?” Pierce said in utter confusion “I am not a snitch. My wife got killed by one, for God's sake”

Ron pulled out his wand at the same time Ginny got out of the next room “Ron! What are you doing?”

“You got nothing to do with it … Go inside” Ron snapped at her; and Pierce got angry “Now, Weasley; stop ill-treating my guests. Even if she is your sister, she is still my guest”

“Shut up!” Ron pushed him wandlessly against the wall; Ginny screamed and Pierce groaned in pain “I should've known” Pierce said in pain “You are one of them”

“Took you long enough to figure it out, eh?” Ron sneered; and Ginny looked at him in disbelief “You are not Ron” she said “No, you are not him”

“Shut up woman!” he pointed his wand at her, but before he does anything a voice yelled “ _Expelliarmus_ ”

Ron's wand flew out of his hand; he looked at the one who disarmed him; and his face paled “You …”

“Yes me …” Ron said “Or to be precise, the real me. Ginny, get inside” Ginny nodded and went inside; the impostor tried to move; but the real Ron pointed his wand at him warningly “Don't you dare”

At that time, Pierce regained his composure; and looked up at the new comer, and his jaw dropped “B-But, how?”

“It is me Pierce; this one is an impostor who was sent to kill you and frame me; much like they did to Harry” he pointed at the impostor

“Don't listen to him, Pierce; I'm the real one” the impostor said in a desperate move to regain his footing; and Pierce was lost between them; then something hit him “Only the true Ron knows my favorite prank”

The impostor paled again; and Ron's eyes gleamed as he looked at Pierce “Chili-Sandwich prank”

“Correct” Pierce said “Then you are my Wes” he jumped next to Ron and tapped his shoulder in reassurance. Unfortunately, iit was a bad move since it broke off Ron's concentration for a second which was more than enough for the impostor to summoned back his wand and yelled “ _Impedimenta_ ” and the spell hit Pierce in the chest sending him back.

Ron summoned a portego shield and yelled at Ginny who was in the room “GINNY! … RUN! … SAVE SHERRY!”

Ginny heard him; and picked up the sleeping Sherry; and at the same time a death eater appeared and shot a killing curse at her which she barely dodged; she then disapparated form the room; and apparated near the hospital. She ran toward the entrance and tried to enter; but a saddened force repelled her and she fell down; and Sherry began to cry “No; this is no time for a failing ward” she tried again; and same thing happened. By that time the death eater appeared behind her and shot another curse; and she dodged it again and began to run deep into the alley. After ran for a while she came to a dead-end; she stopped at her tracks panting and pulled out her wand while holding Sherry at the same time; and the death eater appeared at the end of the alley.

“You are mine now … Avad-Aaaaa” the death eater shrieked in pain as a tip of a sword appeared from the middle of his chest; and Harry's disillusionment charm went off.

“You are too reckless to own anything …” Harry said as he pushed the death eater off his blade and sheathed it back. Then he turned to Ginny who was holding the crying Sherry and said in concerned tone “Ginny, are you alright?”

“Y-Yes, Harry; thank you for asking; I tried to enter the hospital but the ward kept pushing me; I think it is failing”

“Failing?” Harry thought for a second; then he felt a sharp pain overcome him and they heard the fallen death eater chuckling “You are too naïve; the plan is now complete; the muggle will die” then he succumbed to his wounds.

“No, Hermione” Harry said, then looked at Ginny “Ginny, I want you to return to the McLadens' Ron must've finished off the death eater by now; I have to go to Hermione's before it's too late”

“Okay; be careful, Harry” Ginny said before disapparating; and Harry followed …


	12. Revelation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's a race against time ... Harry is trying to catch up with the death eaters in their quest to eliminate his firmer muggle allies. Thei next target is none other than Hermione Granger

On her way home, Hermione was completely occupied with tonight's precious findings; she had never dreamed of putting her hand on such information regarding Harry Potter, yet most of it was still unclear  _'Auror?'_ she thought to herself _'Death Tracker? … What does it mean? I never heard of such occupation'_ the thought of Harry reminded her of all of his gestures _“Whatever it is he is indeed the ringleader; his gestures coincide with his profile, and he has showed such authority many times before his despicable assassination attempt'_ another thought hit her

_‘That time only when I couldn't feel the air of authority; I wonder …'_ she sighed loudly _'It is really confusing … And that US 1 st Battalion; is it part of those so-called death eaters? Is it a militia coup? Or it is just another opposing illegal organization?'_ she knew only one thing for certain; her to-do list for tomorrow has indeed doubled.

She reached her apartment building block and parked inside. Upon reaching her floor, she felt that something was not in place and noticed that the corridor was dim _'I should inform the superintendant to fix it. Either he does his work properly or I will find another flat for lease'_ she pulled her keys out of her pocket and pushed it into the keyhole; oddly enough, the door was already open …

“Hello … Mum, Dad” Hermione called as she cautiously stepped in; she only took few steps forward before hearing the door shut behind her.

“Good evening … Granger” a familiar voice hit her ears, and she turned around only to see Harry Potter looking at her pointing his wand directly. She quickly un-holstered her gun but he flicked his wand and it flew out of her hands into his “Now, now; that was not a wise move. You don't want me to get angry, do you?” she was taken aback by the situation but her anger at the man in front of her made her miss to notice the method of which she lost her weapon.

“What do you want, Potter? I told you I will shoot you on sight” Hermione questioned angrily, and he chuckled murkily “I missed you a lot, so I thought I would drop by; and your parents were really hospitable …”

Hermione's heart fell when he mentioned her parents; and she yelled at him “Where are my parents? What have you done to them?”

He smiled evilly as he answered casually “They are in the living room, and nothing has happened to them … Yet” he then pointed his wand at her and said dryly “Now … Move” They walked into the living room and she saw her parents at the corner with five death eaters pointing their wands at them.

“Hermione!” her mother exclaimed in panic; and she was about to stand up and run toward her only daughter, but a death eater stepped forward and pointed his wand at her throat warningly “Don't move, muggle; or else …” the death eater said in a warning tone.

“Millicent my dear; relax. They are as harmless as flobberworms” Harry said calmly yet in a dark tone; and Hermione looked at him in fury before she walked toward her parents. She sighed in relief when she saw them in good shapes.

“Mum, Dad; are you okay?” she asked them in a concerned tone, and her mother hugged her tightly “Hermione, thank God; I thought he was going to kill you when he said he was going to wait for you by the door”

Her father grasped her shoulder “I don't know how the bloody they came in here; it is as if they appeared out of thin air” he stated irritably, and the statement stirred a dormant thought in her head, but this wasn't the right time or place to discuss theories.

“Oh, such a warm reunion; I cannot hold back my tears anymore” Harry sneered as he wiped off fake tears; and Millicent said in impatience “Look; we have to finish the job before _he_ comes; we have to kill them now”

“Millicent dear; I told you not to worry; _he_ does not know that we are here; so it is not harming to have some fun; everyone put down your wands; it is not a good thing to show off in front of our hosts” Harry said slyly as he eyed the panicked group, and the death eaters obeyed. Dan regained his somewhat of his bravery and stood up in front of him “I demand your leave immediately!”

Harry eyed him coldly “Return to your seat, muggle”; Dan got infuriated “What's with this 'Muggle' thing?”

“It means commoner; impure; inferior … In other words, you. Now, back to your seat or you will be harmed” he pointed his wand at him warningly; but Dan held his ground “Don’t come here and threaten me with a piece of wood, son; I've encountered a lot of threats, but this one makes me laugh”

“Oh really?! Don’t underestimate the potential power of this piece of wood, muggle; and I would like to see how you will laugh after this … _Crucio_ ” Dan shrieked in pain and tumbled down as the curse hit him, he screamed loudly and his body convulsed violently “No!!” both women exclaimed at the same time and tried to jump in but were held back by death eaters. Unable to coup with her husband’s torture, Emma dropped to her knees crying “Please stop!! Have mercy on us!!”

“Stop it!!” Hermione exclaimed in fury as angry tears formed in her eyes; she couldn't stand watching her father being tortured inhumanely “I said stop it!!” she rushed forward breaking through the surprised death eaters and courageously grasped Harry's wand arm and pulled it away from her father, and the torture stopped.

“Bitch!!” Harry yelled in wrath as he slapped her on the face so hard which caused her lower lip to bleed; he then looked at her in fury, and an idea came to him “If you love your pitiful father that much, then it would be ironic if he was killed by your hands. Manson, why don't we test your Imperius curse?”

He backed off few feet as the aforementioned death eater stepped forward and pulled off his hood revealing a scarred broaed-face man; a sly grin was playing on his lips as he replied “As ye' wish … _Imperio_ ” Hermione felt as if she was floating on the surface of water and calmness overcame her emotions; she heard Manson's voice commanding her “Now, muggle; pick up the gun in fron' o' ye' an' shot yer' muggle father wit' it”; she picked up the gun which Harry has thrown it in front of her and pointed it at her father; she was about to pull the trigger, but her mind stopped her _'What are you doing, this is your father you are aiming your gun at; this is not right'_

“Why 'ave ye' stopped, muggle; kill the ol' bas'ard” Manson shouted at her maliciously; and she turned toward him slowly “My father is not a bastard …” she said slowly “… And I will not kill him”

The group of death eater looked at her with utter astonishment; and Manson yelled at her “Shoot him”; and the sound of gunfire echoed across the room.

“Bugger …” Manson muttered with wide eyes as blood seeped from a hole in the middle of his forehead before falling on the floor, dead. Harry eyed him in disbelief, before shooting an angry gaze at Hermione; whose gun was releasing the post-firing smoke “You bitch!” he exclaimed in anger and sent her flying across the room “You have signed your death sentence by this insolence; I wish you a painful death … _Avada Kedavra_ ”

The sickening green beam shot out of his wand and towards Hermione; but out of a twirl of fire Fawkes appeared in front of her and swallowed the whole beam before turning ablaze.

“Damn …” Harry snapped “Not that bloody bird again” as he ended his statement, the lights of the whole house began flashing, and the furniture began to rumble. The death eaters pulled out their wands and Millicent cried in panic “He ... He’s Here!!”

“Potter …” Hermione heard Harry hissing before turning to his aide “The show’s over. Everyone, wands ou-”

“ _Stupefy_ ”

The front doors crumbled and shards flew everywhere as a huge red stunner burst in sweeping across the entry pushing everything in its way and causing mayhem on its path. It stopped at nothing until it hit Harry squarely in the chest; he didn't even have the chance to complete his sentence, let alone erecting the proper shield to block that gigantic stunner. He flew backwards and groaned when he hit the wall hard and fell unconscious; and the surrounding death eaters lost their balance because of the vacuum caused by the spell. When the dust settled down Hermione glanced at the entrance to see what the cause of this sudden devastation was, and her jaw dropped when she saw him; it was Harry Potter …

“Harry?! B-But How?!” Hermione stuttered as she gazed upon the two Harrys in the room. However, the newcomer Harry ignored her stupor as he stepped into the hall while still blocking the exit and pointed his wand at the remaining death eaters and spoke with a voice that made her shake in fear “Yield or die … Your choice”

She could feel some king of of power struggling to come out of his body, like static electricity filling the atmosphere around them, and when she looked into his eyes, she saw the familiar honest eyes with the same commanding looks; yet they were showing terrible rage. Millicent let out a scornful half-hearted laugh as she took her stance, and the other death eaters followed suit “Never, Potter … We outnumber you five to one, and the place is too small to dodge curses”

“You can't be sure until you try …” Harry muttered slowly as the tip of his wand glowed. Millicent got angry and shouted at her companion death eaters “Kill him!” they took the cue and both yelled in confidence “ _Avada Kedavra_!”; Hermione's heart fell when she saw two jets of green light, the same light that killed Lydia, making their way toward Harry, but she was astounded when he brushed the two jets casually and they bounced back to their owners who did have time for anything but to gasp and drop dead “Three to one …” Harry retorted coolly

“You imbeciles!!” Millicent yelled at the greenhorns “Didn't anyone tell you that he is immune to the killing curse? Use other curses for Merlin’s sake!”

“I-I thought you told us that it is the ultimate curse?” A death eater exclaimed as he took a shaky step backwards; and the other death eater remarked “A-And I-I thought you told us that mudbloods and muggle-lovers are weak”

“You Nitwits!!!” The senior death eater bellowed in frustration “This is not an ordinary wizard you are dueling. This is Harry-Bloody-Potter” The remaining death eaters, including Bulstrode started to back as Harry stepped confidently.

“I see that you are a bad tutor, Bulstrode; and they are still untrained in dueling” Harry sneered at them “Perhaps I can help you with my meager talent”

_'Nonsense'_ Bulstrode thought; if there was a master dueler in here, it bloody well was him. As soon as he ended his statement, his aura shot high to the ceiling and everybody gasped in awe, including Hermione who was experiencing the whole matter for the first time in her life.

“An aura! He got an aura and you didn't tell us” one of the death eaters cried in fear; and another one said angrily “And you told us that no one is stronger than the Dark Lord; then what is that?” Bulstrode didn't mind answering them because she knew the rules of dueling; first rule is intimidation. However, it was the first time she saw Harry's aura up close, and it was definitely true to the rule. She knew that these greenhorns did not have a chance against him and shouted at them “Retreat … For now”

The death eaters didn't wait for her order as they were trying to flee the scene; but something kept pulling them down; and Harry smiled slyly at their fleeing attempts “How do you like my trap? First lesson, prepare the dueling grounds before you duel”

“Nonsense …” Millicent said as her pig face paled “We didn't feel any ward upon our arrival”

“Because your arrival was the thing that triggered it” Harry retorted with a confident smile “Now for our second lesson. Hermione, if you please, step aside so you don't get caught in the middle” Harry offered a hand to Hermione diverting his attention away from the death eaters for a second; and Millicent eyes gleamed and she exclaimed “A Chance … _Bombarda!!!_ ”

Hermione gasped when she saw the shapeless curse make its way to Harry who had barely enough time to magically push Hermione away from him before the curse exploded upon impact sending dust and debris everywhere, then Bulstrode cried in victory as she lowered her wand “That's how you destroy a legend. What do you think of that, boys?” she felt a gust of wind pass her by, and felt nervous as she called again “Boys?” she repeated again but all what she got was silence. She turning toward them and she saw two headless corpses lying in a pool of their blood “What the bloody …” she didn't complete her sentence as she felt a tip of a blood-drenched blade under her chin; she followed the blade with her stare and her eyes fell on Harry who was grasping his sword skillfully and threateningly.

“Now it's one to one …” His voice came out as cold as ice that Hermione herself shivered in fear. He looked into the death eater's timid face “I wouldn't have made better distraction than the one you just did … I give you my thanks”

“You lied; you said that you placed an anti-apparition ward” Her words came out conveying disbelief and he reacted with a wider smile “Who said I apparated, I merely leaped to your side” his face then turned to stone as he said “Now, let's conclude our one-on-one …”

“… you mean two-on-one, Potter … Plus a bonus” he heard his own voice coming from the back; he looked around and saw the imposter standing at the corner of the hall were he has fallen unconscious and he was holding Hermione hostage.

“So, you regained your consciousness, deceiver” Harry said coldly “Yield and no harm will befall to your companion”

“As if I care about her” the imposter spat “Unlike you, I don't care for anyone but the mission itself and I would kill her if she let out a single secret. But you would rather die than to let any harm to become your beloved muggles …” he pressed his wand deeper into Hermione neck which caused her to bleed a little. Harry grimaced at the situation “Alright, let's have a deal. We'll each let our hostages go at the same time and you will have the upper hand over me again”

The imposter Harry gave it a thought for a second and nodded in agreement “Okay, on the count of three … One-”

He then suddenly pushed Hermione over to them and pointed his wand at the lot “Crucio” The dark red sparks shot out of the imposter's wand aiming for Hermione. And in a split second, harry reacted.

He knocked Bulstrode down and leaped forward in an astounding speed until he came between Hermione and the curse and took the full blow.

“No!!” Hermione cried as she saw Harry fall to the ground with his sword beside him and his body convulsing violently and heard muffled groans of pain coming out of his mouth.

“I knew it!!” the imposter exclaimed in victory as his eyes gleamed in maliciousness “I knew that you would sacrifice yourself for a muggle. How does it feel to be under an Unforgivable once again, Potter?”

“Stop it!!” Hermione exclaimed and threw a swift punch at the surprised wizard which broke the effect of the spell “Leave Harry alone, you bloody Imposter!!”

“You bitch …” The imposter muttered slowly and wiped the blood off the corner of his mouth. He looked at the muggle detective and saw her taking a fighting stance which angered him even more “You will pay for this …”

Hermione gathered her courage and went for another punch, but with the element of surprise gone, the imposter gained the upper hand. He sent her flying with magic and she crashed at the nearest chair.

“It's the end for you …” He pointed his wand at the incapacitated Hermione and the tip started to glow green. But before he cast the spell a strong hand strongly grasped his wrest and forced his wand upwards, and his eyes meet with another pair of green ones.

“It's over …” Harry stated to the imposter and pushed his open palm onto his chest and uttered one word “ _Offendo …_ ”

Hermione, from her place saw the sudden clash and her eyes widened as she recognized the word said by Harry. The next moment, she witnessed the reason that FBI agent was injured horribly. The moment harry uttered that word his hand glowed white and she heard the imposter shriek in pain as a jet of white light sent him flying to the far wall on which he collided with force that several cracks appeared behind him; and then he dropped unconscious.

“And that concludes our business” Harry said before dropping to his knee in pain, and she paced toward him with quivering heart “Harry, are you alright?”

“Yes …” he said almost in a whisper “Thank you for understanding the situation”

“No …” she said shaking her head “I should thank you for saving my life … Again” then they heard a commotion coming from the end of the room; and saw Millicent trying to flee beyond the ward borders “Harry, she is fleeing!!”

“No, she is not” he summoned his wand and uttered “ _Carpe Retractum_ ” and a red thread appeared out of Harry's wand and wrapped itself around Millicent's neck; he then pulled her forcibly and tossed her toward the nearest wall making her collide violently and fall unconscious; he then conjured a rope and it magically tied Millicent and the imposter.

Hermione was dumbfounded for the umpteenth time when she saw the spells Harry showed one after another; even though in her mind she is still in debate about the true nature of Harry, but deep in her heart she knew that it was him, the Harry she knew for a month until now.

“Let's check up your parents now” Harry's weakened voice pulled her out of her thoughts, and she saw him walking slowly toward her father “Mr. Granger, can you hear me? … Daniel” he called him but he didn't answer “Must be unconscious …” he circled his wand over the fallen body, and the red sparks appeared.

“What was that?” Hermione questioned; and Harry gave her a significant look “He was hit with the same light I was hit with, right?”

“Yes; he was convulsing madly” as if Dan heard her, he entered another fit, and she looked at him in panic “No! Dad!”

“It is the aftereffect of the curse; hold him tightly” she did as she was told, and she saw Harry pulling a vial with a purple potion out of his coat pocket and opened it.

“What is that thing?” she asked him in panic as he poured the content of the vial down her father's throat “It is a muscle relaxing potion; quite handy in such situations” he replied.

“Like a tranquilizer?” she asked and he nodded “Same concept; but more effective” as he ended his sentence, Dan's body stopped convulsing proving the truth of his word “He is stable for now; but I need to take him to the hospital anyway”

“You need a doctor yourself, Harry” she said in a concerned voice as she noticed the bruises and wounds all over his face, arms and neck

He retorted dismissively “Don't worry about that now. First, we have to check upon your mother”

“Mum” she remembered that she didn't notice her mother during the whole ordeal; she was lying on the sofa near them. Harry walked to her and checked her vitals before sighing in relief “Just fainted” he flicked his wand muttering “ _Enervate_ ” and she was awakened.

“Wha-What happened? Dan? Hermione?” she looked a bit disoriented before she noticed Harry beside her

“Get away from me” she yelled in panic and Harry, although he didn't do anything, respected her request and walked away from her toward the imposter.

“Mum; it's alright. It was not Harry who attacked us; it was an imposter in disguise; this is the real Harry” Hermione soothed her mother; who was eyeing Harry and the imposter in disbelief “Two Harrys; I must be going mental”

Harry tried to enervate the imposter, but he was knocked out cold that he needed to perform the enervation twice for it work; finally, the imposter awaken and glared at Harry in sheer hate.

“Care to tell me who you are, if you please?” Harry asked casually; and the death eater spat at him “Sweet talk does not suite you, Potter”

“Then a dose of Veritaserum will do the trick” he forced the whole vial down the imposter's throat; who gulped the potion unwillingly. In a matter of seconds, the potion began to take effect.

“Now then” Harry stated “Who are you?”

“Someone you know” the imposter said with a red face as he tried to fight the effects of the potion.

Harry smiled calmly “After all that you can resist the serum … How admirable” he then repeated the question “Who are you?”

The imposter tried to struggle off his ropes before he answered “Wait and see …” then he let a muffled cry as a surge of pain came over his whole body. Hermione, who was observing the interrogation from the beginning, averted her eyes from him in disgust as his skin began to waver violently. Finally, the effects of the polyjuice potion vanished, and the imposter was exposed …

“Theodore Nott …” Harry said coldly “Of course, who else would be sick enough to perform such gruesome deeds”

Nott laughed maliciously as he retorted “You mean exciting deeds; I never had so much fun in my life like I had this very night”

“You think torturing people is fun …” Harry said standing up slowly. Hermione shivered as the lights began to malfunction again, and the temperature dropped sharply “Let's see if you think this is funny” he said as he levitated him wandlessly and motionlessly.

“What are you doing?” Nott questioned in panic as he saw the death glare on Harry's face; and he shrieked loudly as Harry pushed him magically toward the ceiling causing him to collide hardly “This is for killing Lydia …” then he descended him speedily and he hit the floor forcibly “This is for Torturing Pierce and Dan …”; then he sent him flying toward the furthest wall hitting hard again “This is for trying to kill Hermione …” and lastly, he brought him back at high speed colliding him at the nearest wall, head first “And this is for having the nerve to impersonate me to cover your cruel deeds”

The ill-fated death eater fell unconscious due to the consecutive wall bangs; but Harry addressed him nonetheless “You will continue your fun in the afterlife; when we serve you to the veil. But now you are regrettably needed for further interrogation” Harry remarked and summoned a vase from the corner of the room “I'm sorry, Hermione but I need this … _Portus_ ” the vase glowed in blue as the spell took effect “See you in the headquarters, Nott” he threw the vase at him and he disappeared in a second.

“Where did he go?” Hermione questioned in amazement as she was pulled out of her shock at what Harry just did.

“I sent him to the holding cells at the headquarters” he replied; then pressed the button of the invisible headphone. Hermione gasped for the umpteenth time this night when the invisibility charm failed revealing his earphone then a green miniature hologram appeared in front of Harry.

“Yes, Sir” the man in the hologram addressed Harry respectably.

“Situation contained at the Grangers'; but they need a place to hide until all is finished. Prepare the guest room for them” Harry said in commanding tone.

“Roger, sir”

“Both aces of Club and diamond have been caught and four other death eaters have been eliminated”

“Make that five” Hermione said, and Harry looked at her questionably “I killed one when he was trying to manipulate me into killing my own father”

Harry looked at her in amazement as he resumed his command “Make that five eliminated, Dick. Send Phoenix Five here to collect Bulstrode and the dead bodies for identification and cross-referencing. I already sent Nott to the holding cells in the main headquarters; and do not forget to inform the ministry about the update in the play cards wanted list”

“Roger, Sir”

“Over and out” Harry ended the call then turned toward Hermione “Now, Hermione, you and Mrs. Granger need to be transferred to safety … Fawkes”

Hermione winced as the regal bird appeared from under his ashes and flew to Harry's shoulder “How are you doing? I know I’m asking for a lot but I need you to transfer Hermione and her mother to the safety of the headquarters, and then you can repose for a while”

The enormous phoenix sang soundly then flew toward Hermione's shoulder, who was startled at the bird's sudden movements “Don't worry” said Harry “You are in good hands; or I should say, talons”

“Wait! What about Dan?” Emma said in apparent panic “What about my husband?”

“Don't worry, Mum” Hermione replied “He's just hurt; Harry will take him to the hospital”

“She is right, Mrs. Granger; for the time being, I only need you to worry about your own safety. Now, Fawkes … Go”

Fawkes obeyed his master, and in a twirl of fire they all disappeared, leaving Harry, Dan, and the rest alone in the apartment “Sorry Mr. Granger” Harry addressed the unconscious man “We need to wait for the Phoenix Team arrival”

\--------------------------------------------

Hermione felt the room spin as the fire covered her and her mother; then, in a second, everything stopped and they found them selves in another room. It was a dim room with five beds; and she noticed the light coming from under the only door in the room, she opened the door slowly, and her eyes widened at what she saw.

There were no less than twenty people coming from and going into other rooms, and they were all dressed in strange dark uniforms; but she assumed they were military, or at least security force uniforms, judging from the variant insignias on their shoulders. They paid her no attention as they went on with their different businesses.

“Del Costa, Auror Potter ordered Phoenix Five to present at the Grangers' for body collection; the area is surrounded by a strong anti-apparition ward, so you should apparate at point Q6; and he said quickly, he needs to transfer a muggle casualty to St. Mungo's” a woman addressed a strong-muscled man who nodded at her “Alright, I'll call my team”

The walked out of the room; and Hermione stood confusingly by the door _'What the bloody was that?! They look and act like a well-organized agency'_

“Hermione; I see that you are fine” a familiar voice startled her; she looked at its direction and saw Ron staring at her, smiling; and he had a bondage surrounding his head.

“Ron! Don't tell me that you too are …”

“Right as always 'Mione; I am working with Harry” he interrupted with the same smile, and then he looked inside the room and saw Emma sleeping on one of the beds “I see that your mother is okay, too; but where is your father?”

“He got hurt” she said in a sad tone “Harry said that he will take him to a hospital”

“If he is with Harry, then he is in good hands” then he looked at her in concern “Your lip is bleeding by the way”

She wiped the blood with her hand “It must be when the imposter slapped me; but you are the one whom I should ask about with that big bandage around your head. What happened?”

“Long story …” Ron said dismissively “But it's not the time for it; come on, everybody is waiting” he ushered her toward a near door which she entered; and she was welcomed by a sight she wouldn't imagine.

There were countless computers arranged along the wall with many monitors showing the police station in different angles; and with the humming of the machines she felt like she was in a computer company.

“Welcome to the intelligence room” Ron said to her; but she didn't hear him as she eyed Pierce talking with another man in uniform.

“Pierce!” she exclaimed; and he beamed as he saw her coming toward him.

“Hey Herms; so they got you here too. I was dead worried about you” he gave her a friendly hug, which she returned gratefully and she questioned “How did you get here? Don't tell me; you were targeted for assassination too”

“Bullseye, A.I. …” he remarked with his trademark grim “And thanks to Wes and Ginny here; my daughter and I were rescued. It looks like my whole family is now in a life-debt with the Weasleys”

“I hope your insurance can cover that debt, Pierce” Dick remarked jokily; and Hermione noticed him for the first time “I don't think we have ever met”

Dick noticed that he didn't introduced himself “How rude of me; my name Richard Howards; I'm the team's Intel specialist; you can call me Dick”

“By the way, he's our bouncer” Pierce stated with a smile; and Hermione gaped at him “You?!”

Dick smiled in guilt “I'm sorry for the trouble I caused to you; I was just following orders and collecting mysterious unsolved cases; but that death eater took advantage of the situation and attacked you”

“Yeah; that Potter needs to be stopped immediately” Pierce commented seriously before smiling “And with the help of Wes boys, I think that this case can be solved easily”

Hermione looked perplexed at Pierce's remark; then she looked at the irritated Ron “You didn't tell him …”

“I was going to tell him; but I was waiting for the right moment to …” Ron said defensively; but Hermione interrupted him “I will tell him”

“Tell me what?” Pierce looked at them in concern; and Hermione placed her hand on his arm “Look, Pierce; you need to know who saved me; he is none other than …” but she didn't complete her sentence as the doors opened, and Harry stepped in.

“I see that we are all here; good” Harry stated calmly; and Pierce got enraged by the sight of the supposed murderer of his wife.

“What is he doing here?” Pierce un-holstered his gun and pointed it at Harry, who stood frozen midway toward them.

Hermione felt her body tensed at that point, and she shouted at her partner “Pierce! Stop it! He is innocent!”

“So was my wife …” Pierce retorted in anger “And now I got the chance to avenge her and you say 'Don't'? He is a murderer, Hermione” Pierce turned his full attention to his female partner, and Harry exploited the chance and summoned the gun out of Pierce's hands toward his, disarming the raging detective.

Pierce was dumbfounded at the unusual happening “W-What happened?”

“Now we can talk in a civil manner” Harry stated calmly, covering his pain bravely “Anger will not get you anywhere. In fact, it will blind you from the truth even if it was under your nose; like in this moment for instance. I came to tell you that I caught the true murderer of Lydia, please follow me”

The group followed him with Pierce still confused at what happened; and Harry remembered something “Ron, has Ginny returned to you? I told her to do so after the death eater who was following her was eliminated”

“Yes, Harry; I brought her along with Pierce and Sherry here. She is sleeping with sherry at the second guest room; so stop worrying, mate” Ron said calmly to his commander and best friend; who sighed in relief “Good; no ropes are loose right now” then when they reached the detention hall, he pushed the door open and glanced at Pierce “After you …”

Pierce eyed him suspiciously before being pushed inside by Hermione, and he found himself in a dim hall with five small rooms at both sides; the rooms were glowing faintly in blue as if a spotlight was aimed directly at them. At the end of the hall, a huge double door can be seen.

“What is this place?” Pierce asked as he was captivated by the neat arrangement of the hall.

“This is the detention hall …” Harry said calmly; then pointed at the holding cells “Here you can find the holding cells where we hold the convicted criminals we catch; in other words, the death eaters”; he walked toward a specific cell “Which bring us back to the main subject. Meet Theodore Nott; your torturer …”

Pierce looked at Nott, who was glaring at them maliciously; then turned back at Harry with an angry look “What the hell are you talking about? This is NOT the one who tortured me and killed Lydia”

“Another muggle … I wish I could cleanse the world from your foul presence” Nott remarked murkily; and Pierce's eyes widened as he recognized the sentence “You son of a … It _is_ him! I cannot forget that sick tone. You piece of … LET ME AT HIM!!”

Pierce banged the cell door hard as he was trying to open it, but he was pulled back by Ron and Hermione; who were having a hard time restraining him. Harry raised his eye brows as he looked at Nott in amazement “It seems that the Veritaserum is still working though its supposed effective period has ended … Such a good batch”

“It is not the serum, Potter” Nott smiled in malevolence “I am not afraid of speaking my mind; unlike you … Filthy muggle lovers”

Harry looked at him coldly before replying “Then you can spare me the headache and tell me straight; where is Flint's hideout?”

“Good one, Potter” Nott remarked “But not good enough”

Harry looked at him for a minute “Well, you left me with no choice but to resort to violent measures …”

“Let me at him, Potter; I will show him who is the man” Pierce said as he was trying to free himself from the clutches of his partners.

“I will deal with him myself, Pierce; thanks for the offer. And I am afraid that nothing will be left of him for you to deal with after I'm finished with him” Harry shot a death glare at Nott. He snapped his fingers and a rope appeared out of thin air and wrapped itself around Nott.

“How did you do that?” Pierce said in stunned voice.

“All in good time, Pierce … all in good time” Harry said with a smile “For now, I want you to follow me silently …” with that he pulled Nott out of the cell and pushed him toward the interrogation chamber; as they entered the room; they noticed that it did not contain any furniture save a table and a couple of chairs.

“This is the interrogation chamber; as the name indicates, this is where we interrogate the detained death eaters; which I will do now …” Harry said and magically forced Nott to sit on one of the chairs; and he sat on the other one “Now … Speak, or else”

“In your dreams, Potter” Nott hissed as he tried to struggle out of the ropes; and Harry sighed as he tightened the ropes magically “It is unfortunate that I cannot administer another dose of Veritaserum because you will be poisoned; but I still have something under my sleeve …” Harry locked his eyes onto Nott's and muttered “ _Legilimens_ …”

Hermione looked in confusion at Harry and Nott as the latter began to shake and sweat; she leaned at Ron, who was observing the matter silently and whispered “What is Harry doing? And why does that wanker shake?”

“He is trying to read Nott's mind; and he is shaking because, apparently, Harry is triggering off some 'unpleasant' memories” the he looked at her with a significant look “How do you think he got the hideout information out of that thug?”

Hermione's eye widened as she remembered a similar interrogation “So, he read the mind of that thug; no wonder he was quivering”

By the time they finished their conversation, Harry was done with mind reading “And I thought you would resist a bit longer” he said as he pulled out his wand and looked at the observing group “This will be a bit nasty, so I advice you to plug your ears” then he looked back at Nott “This will be painful, so don't deafen my ears … _Memoria Extratum_ ”

Hermione and Pierce quickly plugged their ears when a long, sharp scream came out of Nott as his memories were being extracted from him. When the process was finished, he fell back to his chair exhausted, and Harry looked at him coldly “You are of no use to us now; you will be transferred to the ministry official holding cells and will be tried for the series of crimes you have committed. I believe there are tons of tomes full of your deeds”

He returned him back to his cell, and ushered everybody out to the main hall; he then turned to Ron “Ron; call for the team leaders for an emergency meeting, we have to move fast so Flint wouldn't …”

“No you will not, sir” Sofia came from a nearby room wearing an irritable expression on her face “Your whole body has been bruised and injured, and as the team's medical specialist I insist that you should rest; you have to give your body a chance to recuperate”

“After the meeting, Sofia” Harry said in uneasiness “I really have to attended it”

“Not after I call the minister” Sofia said warningly “I bit he won't be happy that his high commander is neglecting his own health even if it was for the sake of the mission”

Harry frowned at the medic metamorphmagus, but then made up his mind “Ron; attend the meeting at my place and inform dick to make a copy of the memories inside” he handed him his wand “Order Phoenix Ten, Eleven, and Twelve to place constant surveillance on Muerte's hideout; I want a full report on my desk by tomorrow evening” then he remembered something; and pulled the letter Dick gave him “Send this to Malfoy; it contains detailed information about the exploding curse. Tell him to review it properly and provide me with the proper application method”

“That's enough, sir. Auror Weasley can handle everything from that point forward” Sofia said as she pulled him toward his office; but he went on “And Ron; there is a memory I want Pierce to see; and don't forget to explain everything about our world to them”

“Everything?” Ron asked cautiously, and Harry gave him a significant look “Everything … At least we owe theme that” and then he walked into the office.

Ron then turned to Pierce and Hermione, who were feeling like they were in another world, and addressed them “I'm sorry but can you go and check on Ginny and Mrs. Granger and all of you gather in one room? I have to follow Harry's orders or he would skin me alive”

Both detectives nodded even though they didn't understand his purpose, and Pierce stated “Hermione can bring her mother; I will look for Ginny and check on Sherry at the same time. But … Err … Which way?” Ron smiled and pointed at a nearby room; they split up and everyone went to his business. Hermione reached the room where she and her mother appeared in; she entered the room only to see her mother gazing upon the room in a strange manner.

“Mum …” Hermione said cautiously, and Emma looked at her in relief “Hermione, thank God; I thought they separated you from me … I was afraid”

“Don't worry Mum, this is not a prison; I honestly don't know what it is, but I can assume that it is the safest place possible considering the situation. Now, let's go; everyone is waiting” Hermione replied as she pulled her mother up; they went to the room Ron has pointed for Pierce and walked in. upon their entry, they saw Pierce smiling brightly while speaking with Ginny, who was cuddling the sleeping Sherry motherly.

“Ginny! Thank God you are safe …” Hermione hugged her friend and neighbor “It's a good thing Ron was there”

“Yeah” Pierce retorted “It's a good thing for Sherry that Ginny was there; or else she would be dead” he shivered as an image of his daughter's dead body came to his mind “She would be too dead”

“Thank you for your nice remark, Pierce; but I told you I haven't done anything; if Harry wasn’t there, Sherry and I would've been dead; he is the true hero, as always” Ginny replied with a smile, which Pierce did not find amusing, and to his surprise, he felt a little bit of jealousy overcome him; but before he can say anything, Ron entered.

“Wow, the air is so tense I can cut through it with a knife” Ron jested trying to remove the tension he felt from their guests.

“We are fine, thank you Ron; but can you hurry up and explain what the bloody is happening?” Hermione replied in impatience; Ron seated down; and everybody was sitting in front of him; and Ginny sat beside her brother.

“First, I want to assure you that we are humans; so don't go far with your ‘Theories’” he looked at Hermione significantly; then continued “Now, what do you want to know?”

Pierce was the first to speak “We want to know what the hell is going on; what type of weaponry are you guys using; and the important thing, who the hell are you? We want the truth?” he asked his questions plainly; and Ron didn't utter a word for a whole minute, and took his time organizing his thoughts before speaking “Well, I hope you are ready for the truth, because the truth doesn't always bring peace of mind. We are humans as I told you; but not entirely normal humans, and we go by the name …”

“Wizards …” Hermione interrupted, and her mother and Pierce looked at her in confusion while Ron was amazed “It was magic all along, wasn't it?”

“How did you know?” Ron asked with an amazed smile.

“Since the day we caught Harry and confiscated his 'wand', as you call it, I felt that that piece of wood was not normal; it could not be a beam weapon; it contained no machinery, and today has proved me right; Latin incantations, waving, and different beams coming out of the sample simple wooden object, which made me admit that the answer would be more or less supernatural; in other words … Magic”

Everyone looked at Hermione in amazement, her intelligence and logical reasoning was definitely something to be admired “If only you’ve been born a witch …” Ron spoke in admiration “You would’ve been the most brilliant witch in history”

“Thank you …” Hermione smiled humbly “But one thing almost caused me to reconsider my theory which was Harry's sword. Why does a magic user need an ordinary sword?”

“You can say that Harry is a bit different. Well …a lot different to be honest; since the day of his birth he was different; his parents were killed by the most evil wizard of the century and he was sent to his aunt's house where he was abused and neglected. He never knew about his parents' murder and about his magical heritage until the age of eleven; he also knew that since the day of his birth, he was enlisted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry like all the wizards of his age; and it was there where we met and became best friends and brothers. The school was directed by Headmaster Albus Dumbledore; who was supervised by the education council in the Ministry of Magic. Of course, Dumbledore did not need such kind supervision for he was unquestionably the greatest sorcerer in the world even though Voldemort, the murderer of Harry's family, claims to be the one”

Ron stopped for a second and glanced at his audience who we looking at him in a mixture of interest and disbelief; then continued “During our days in school, we had our share of adventures, and we encountered many situations; happy and sad; even at one point Harry discovered that he had a godfather and even met him. Sadly enough, this happy reunion did not last long for he lost his godfather while he was defending him; and as if sorrow wasn't enough, he lost the headmaster, the last person he deemed a parent, and Harry was shattered; he felt like he was poison; anyone comes near him gets killed brutally. Since that day, Harry found himself standing at a crossroad; either he distance himself from everybody so no one else would die; or he train himself properly so that he can protect his loved ones”

Ron looked at them significantly “Luckily for us, he chose to stay and fight; he immersed himself in aggressive training; and after school, he discovered that he was maybe the wealthiest human in the world, owning limitless assets in many companies around the world; but that didn't change his plan as we both applied for the auror program, which is a combination of both law and military school. All aurors were bound to train hard for a limit; but Harry pushed himself beyond that limit and he was admired by his superiors before his colleagues; because he learned from them, then became one of them, then surpassed them. He was promoted to senior status at a very short period of time; and during that time, Voldemort was at the peak of his power with no one able to stop him; and during that time, Harry's tactical mind emerged”

He took a minute to regain his composure as he was himself excited by the story “He used his unlimited wealth and his connections in Wizard Bank, which is called Gringotts, to track down Voldemort's assets and funding sources and dried most of them; which enraged the dark wizard, but that was not all; Harry predicted every move Voldemort has made because he, alone, had faced him many times more than any other wizard, and miraculously survived each time; but this time Harry was not the clueless school-wizard, he was a senior auror with limitless funding and truly exceptional power, and everyone knew that sooner or later, Harry and Voldemort will face each other and the prophecy will be fulfilled; and that day has come, or should I say night; Voldemort was enraged beyond reason that a mere boy has escaped him for nearly twenty three years, and he wanted to finish his business with Harry as soon as possible. He and his death eaters appeared near a magical village; and was about to attack the villagers as a warning to us; but he didn't know that Harry was expecting such cheap move and has prepared an ambush for him, and finally they met face-to-face. They dueled like no other wizards have; and the sheer power of the fight left all of us dumbfounded for no one ever knew that Harry has reached Voldemort's level of power; the fight has lasted for ten minutes only, and Harry destroyed his nemesis”

Ron hushed up for a minute giving them time to get along with his narration “Harry told me after the fight that he wished that he was the one who's dead; he was feeling empty from the inside because he wanted to share the joy of victory with a close relative; but Voldemort has left him none. Deep down inside him, Harry felt that Voldemort was the one who won”

Ron stopped talking, and Hermione felt that this was not the end “What happened then?”

“Harry was granted an exceptional promotion to 'Senior Auror, First Class', which was the dream of every auror in the office; he was the youngest auror to get such promotion, and was also appointed the Director of Auror Office; but when I saw the look on his face, vacant and restless, I knew that he will make the stupidest move that he'll ever make; and he did it … he resigned”

“What?!” Pierce exclaimed in shock “Why would he do such thing?!”

“I never knew why back then; but Harry's excuse was that he fulfilled the prophecy, so no one needs him anymore. He left the office and all England, and for a whole year no one ever saw him; during that year, Marcus Flint has emerged and assumed the leadership of the Neo-Death Eaters, and tracked down the senior ones so that none of them would dare to challenge him. It was a hard year for the office, and we wished for Harry's return because we were much in need of his tactical mind, and our wish was granted. He returned with the most determined look I've ever seen him wearing; and he hindered many plans Flint has executed using new techniques and plans, including his most famous one 'Shock and Awe', the last strategy caused Flint to flee to America; and you know the rest”

Ron finished his speech and heard two silent sobs of Emma and Ginny, who couldn't bear hearing the story again. Pierce and Hermione looked at each other before saying in unison “Unbelievable …”

“I know” Ron replied “It is hard to believe at first; but when you think of it reasonably; you can accept it”

Pierce thought thoroughly before saying “Wes … Can you explain the auror chain of command, because I didn't quite get it”

Ron rubbed his head as he didn't expect this kind of question “Our promotion ladder is quite old; maybe older than that of the muggles; but you can say that there are two separate ladders; the officers and the enlists”

“And you are …” Hermione asked.

“An officer of course” Ron replied “Senior Auror, Fifth Class; which is equal to the muggle rank Colonel”

They were shocked by the statement; then Hermione spoke “If you are a colonel, then that makes Harry …”

“A General” Ron interrupted; and Hermione's eyes widened; while Pierce said nothing as his face paled.

“General? But he is too young, isn't he?” Hermione questioned.

“I told you it is an exceptional promotion” Ron answered “I know that muggle military doesn't allow it, but we are not bound to senseless rules. Anyone who deserves a promotion gets it, and with most of the first class aurors being killed in action in the last war, who would be more deserving than Harry Potter?”

“Ron …” Hermione said a bit annoyed “What's with the 'muggle' thing? I hated it when that murderer used it; so why are you using it?”

“I'm sorry 'Mione” Ron looked at her apologetically “Muggle is the name we use for non-magic folk; but some wizards use it offensively; like Nott, for example” he then tried to revert the conversation by addressing Pierce, who was silent for quite some time “Pierce, why haven't you said a word?”

“I threatened … A General” Pierce said slowly as his face paled even more; and Ron chuckled at him “Don't worry mate; Harry understands that your motive was grief. Who would understand the grief of the others better that him?” then he nodded at them “Now, I beg your pardon; I have many matters to attended to; please make yourselves at home” then he walked out of the room.

In the middle of the main hall Ron heard a door opens behind him; he looked back and saw Hermione with an undecided look upon her face “Yes, Hermione?”

She looked at him undecided, before speaking “There was a bird, a red bird; it appeared out of nowhere”

“That would be Fawkes; Harry's Phoenix” Ron answered “Harry trusted him with your protection; but I didn't know that he appeared before you”

“He didn't just appear; he appeared out of flames; and swallowed that death curse you told me about; and not once, but twice”

Ron raised his eyebrow and looked at her in amazement “You know, Fawkes is an intelligent bird; and if it sacrificed itself for you, that means it is thinking highly of you; and it sacrificed itself not once, but twice as you said; which means that you are someone special, Hermione”

Hermione looked at Ron confusingly; who continued “Harry also is thinking highly of you; if he isn't, he wouldn't have rushed to your aid”

Last night's events passed before her eyes, and her body shivered when she reached the point where Harry has entered “The power he displayed today; it was … Dreadful”

“Harry can go a bit far sometimes; it happens when someone he cares about is in danger” Ron said calmly; and she looked at him blankly; then she asked him “Ron, can I ask you a favor?”

He looked at her in confusion “If I can do it, then yes”

“If all of this ended, can you tell me more about Harry?”

He looked at her with a sad smile “If all of this ends well; I don't think you will need to know anything about him”

She looked at him in confusion, and he excused himself out of this no-end conversation “If you excuse me, Hermione; Harry has entrusted me with some 'assignments' as you heard before; I advise you to lie your head upon a pillow for some time” he walked into a nearby room leaving the confused detective alone. She returned to the guest room and found that her mother wasn't there.

“Where is mum?” she asked Pierce, who was sitting beside Ginny and playing with his now-awake daughter.

“She said that she is a bit overwhelmed with the information; and went back to your guest room for some sleep” Pierce replied “I, too, am overwhelmed”

“You are not the only one” Hermione said, then looked at Ginny “Ginny, why have you all lied to us?”

“We did not lie, Hermione …” Ginny retorted “We are not permitted to expose our world to non-magicals. But the latest events forced us to do so. I have to tell you one thing, though; this is the first time I have ever been to this place; it is strictly an auror headquarter, as Ron have said; and I'm but a humble healer”

“Healer?” Hermione retorted; and Ginny explained “Magical physician; but I think you are mind too burdened to be filled with more information”

“You are right on that” Hermione said with a tired tone “I think the best thing I should get now is to some sleep” she waved them 'goodbye' before going for the other guest room. She found that her mother was already fast asleep; she lied on the other bed in the room, and closed her eyes.

\------------------------------------------

A death eater stormed Flint's office, and “Master, Nott has been …”

“Captured, I know …” Flint interrupted him calmly; and the death eater looked at his master in confusion “Master, How …”

“I know, because the second phase of EMPA is complete” he interrupted him again with a smile “The ultimate power is near; do not worry yourselves with the captured ones and proceed with the final phase of EMPA. Just be on your guard, Potter's forces will attack very soon”

“Aye, my lord” the death eater bowed to him before walking out of the room. Muerte, who witnessed the whole conversation, looked at Flint in confusion “What was that all about, Holmes?”

“Our plan is about to be bear fruits; and we will gain power beyond imagination” Flint replied, and Muerte retorted sarcastically “You couldn't beat that Potter, and you talk about power?”

Flint didn't get angry at the druglord's remark and replied coolly “You will see, my Latin friend, you will see …”

\---------------------------------------

For a whole hour she tried to sleep, but every time she closed her eyes last night's events came to her mind; she saw faux Harry when he tortured her father, and when he tried to kill her; she felt the power of Harry's stunner when he blasted his through the flat doors; she saw his intensive aura that frightened her yet protected her at the same time; she saw … No … She could not see him when he moved in extraordinary speed and cleaved off the heads of two death eaters; yet she witnessed his skill in the sword by the way he wielded it; she remembered when he jumped in front of her taking the full blow of that sickening curse; she saw him shrugging off the pain and delivering a stunning blow to his doppelganger.

_'He came, he saw, and he conquered'_ she thought to herself; then sighed grievously and muttered “You are so brave, Harry Potter; yet so confusing”

“You are awake” Hermione jumped at the sudden statement; and looked at the source of the sound only to see her mother, who has just awaken and looked at her with sleepy eyes.

“I was not asleep in the first place; I was thinking about last night's ordeal …”

“And Harry Potter” Emma interrupted slyly; and a blush crept to Hermione's cheeks, and she replied defensively “I should be; he was the one who saved us all”

“And that what makes it romantic” Emma retorted “Prince charming on his white horse comes and save his beloved princess”

“MUM! Stop teasing me” Hermione's face was beet red “Life is more complicated than a fairytale; and if you haven't been listening he is a wizard”

“And what if he was?!” Emma said in a scolding tone “He is human, isn't he? He is young, dashing; and by God he is a General. I bet many girls are drooling over him; and his … Magic? Think of it as a unique power”

“I know mum …” Hermione replied irritably “But I think this is not the right time or place to discuss this nonsense”

Emma rolled her eyes “Whatever, you are just as stubborn as your father” then she remembered “Speaking of your father, when can we see him?”

“I don't know, but I'm going to ask Harry about it personally … Among other things” by the end of her statement she stood up, and walked out of the room. She looked left and right trying to guess where Harry's office is; but failed miserably. She haphazardly chose a door; but it led her to the intelligence room where she saw Dick and Sofia chatting.

“Yes, detective” Sofia questioned with a tone that sounded familiar to Hermione.

“I'm looking for Harry's room; I have some questions for him”

“He is resting right now; and I forbid you from disturbing him” Sofia said in defiance; and Hermione looked at her in fury.

“I want just to ask him about my father; not to wrestle him” Hermione snapped at the young auror.

“Whoa girls; no need for a catfight here” Dick tried to calm them down; but all what he gained was a yell from both of them.

“Shut up” both women yelled at him at the same time; them Hermione looked at the female auror in confusion “You sound familiar to me; have we met before?”

“Of course … Detective Granger” Sofia retorted as she began to shape shift; and Hermione gasped as a familiar face appeared in front of her “Laura!”

“Yes, I'm Laura, the crime scene investigator you despise” her face returned to its original features as she spoke “But in reality, I am Sofia Blanc; French member in the international auror team, and the medic and the espionage specialist of the team; I can shape shift my appearance which gives me unlimited choices of characters that I can utilize in my missions”

“Great, is there another faux police officer I haven't met yet?” Hermione remarked

“Not that I know of from our team; but I bet there is at least one from the death eaters; and he is the one responsible for McLaden's wife murder” then she looked at her sternly “But this is not our concern right now; what purpose do you have for meeting our injured commander”

“I told you; it's about my father. He got injured and tortured last night, and Harry said that he will send him to the hospital. I just want to know when I can visit him … Please” Hermione pleaded, and the young auror looked at her stubbornly, before her face softened.

“Third room on your the left” Sofia said with a smile “Just don't storm the room”

“Thank you; I am so grateful” Hermione said happily before storming out of the room; she counted three room on her left and entered the third on quietly, and she found herself inside an office.

It was a simple yet elegant office; with a paper-covered office, an overstuffed file cabinet, and an incomplete bookshelf. Fawkes was sleeping on a nearby bird stand; and sunlight could be seen coming in shyly through the blinds. She stepped in cautiously and looked around until she found Harry, who was sleeping peacefully on a nearby sofa; she walked toward him slowly until she stood nearly beside him, he was sleeping shirtless and was hugging his sheathed sword with dear life; and she can see that his lean but muscular body was covered with many minor to moderate bruises; and she assumed that it was from the torture he got; to her surprise, the bruises were dissolving one after another. She looked upon his face and she saw that it bears the most angelic expressions she ever saw

_'How can a person bearing such handsome face be able kill anyone?'_ she thought to herself, then she blushed at her own thoughts. She leaned forward and was about to wake him up, but a birdsong made her flinch; she turned at the source and sighed with relief as it was none other than Fawkes. She turned her eyes back at Harry, and they fell upon a pair of dangerous green eyes, and she felt cold steel under her chin.

_'Now, he can …'_ she thought to herself as she swallowed hard; then spoke with a hoarse voice “Harry, it's me … Hermione”

Harry looked at her for a second before withdrawing his sword and apologizing calmly “Hermione, I'm so sorry. You shouldn't have sneaked up on me, it is very dangerous”

“Yes, I can clearly see that …” she said with a sigh of relief “You are so fast, I didn't hear or see you move”

“Courtesy of sensei. Please, sit down” Harry replied with a smile, and ushered her to sit on a nearby sofa, and she did as told “Now, is there something you want to speak with me about”

“Yes” Hermione said in concern “My father …”

“He is alright” Harry interrupted her calmly “I have transferred him to a magical hospital, and placed four aurors for his protection; I also insisted that a healer consultant is assigned to tend to him. Rest assured Hermione, he is in good hands; you look after yourself. Speaking of injuries …” he looked at her in concern “What is this reddening on your face?”

“What reddening?” she asked puzzled; and he held her chin “This reddening …” he touched her cheek softly, and she felt her whole body froze “Who did this to you?”

She hardly regained her composure and spoke in a shake voice “The … The imposter slapped across the face”

“That low wanker …” Harry muttered angrily and his fist clenched, then his attention back at Hermione “Don't worry about him Hermione; he will get what he deserves”

“And what is it?” she asked cautiously.

“Death …” Harry answered coldly; and Hermione felt her spine tense.

“I can't say that he doesn't deserve it” Hermione said slowly “But enough about him; I want to know who you really, Harry”

“Didn't Ron speak to you?” he asked wondering, and she shook her head “he did, but I want to know you better”

“As you wish” Harry said casually “But first let me accommodate you because this is the first time you've ever been to my office” he ended his statement with a hand wave, and two cups flew from the corner table toward him; he garbed them easily and conjured a butterbeer jug and pour her some, then offered the cup to her “Have some butterbeer …”

“A what?!” she asked as he picked up the cup.

“Butterbeer; it is similar to root beer, but more tasty and nutritious” he replied as he drank from his cup. She cautiously took a sip from hers, and she tasted something she never tasted before.

“It is really tasty” she said, and he smiled at her; then he spoke up “You said you wanted to know me better”

“Yes” she said eagerly.

“I am Harry Potter; Senior Auror, first Class, and high commander of US first battalion. I am on a mission to track down the death eaters and thwart any plans they have; this mission is considered international, and that's why you see my teams are consisted of multinational forces. Our plan was to help you in catching Muerte, and do it as discrete as possible; but it seems that an insider foiled our plans and casualties occurred”

“Enough about your mission, Harry; I know it already. I want to know _you_ ” Hermione insisted, and he looked at her irritably “My life is not your typical fairytale, Hermione. I lost my parents before I even know them; I lived in abuse and neglect; I nearly lost everyone I cared for; but in the end, I destroyed my tormentor. I am trying to live peacefully, but it seems that war machines don't have the luxury of resting”

Hermione didn't like that depict, but didn't argue; he then resumed the mission planning “We are now surveying Muerte's hideout; I hope that in the morning we will study the surveillance profile and plan our attack. I hate to be rude; but I would like to write my incidence report now or the minister will eat me alive” he said as he smiled at her “Then we will go and see your father …”

\-------------------------------------------

Harry, Hermione and Emma passed the gates of St. Mungo's by 10:00 AM; and the women were astounded by the organization and modernity of the place; every person was dressed either in pink or light blue clothes with matching robes.

“Welcome to St. Mungo's Hospital …” Harry said casually, and he smiled as he saw the amazed expressions of his companions “This way” he guided them through the ramified corridors of the hospital, until they reached a tranquil corridor; and they stopped in front a well-guarded ward.

“The Granger family members are here to visit their patriarch” Harry addressed a stern-faced auror, who saluted his superior firmly before replying “I'm sorry, sir; but I have to check your badge first”

“Alright …” Harry pulled out his golden auror badge; and Hermione to a glance of it for the first time; it was an oval badge with elegant carving, but what was important is the five golden stars that glittered in the middle. The auror pulled out his wand and tapped the badge which glowed in blue before returning to normal. The auror holstered his wand back and opened the way “You can enter now, sir”

“I will not enter myself; they will enter and check upon him themselves” then he leaned at the auror and said “I hope that healer consultant has come”

“He said he is on the way” the auror answered firmly.

“Damn it …” Harry muttered in anger “No worries, I will look for him myself. Just tell the aurors inside to give them some privacy”

“Will do, sir” the auror saluted firmly as he ushered the women to follow him “This way”

They entered the room; and found that it was rather large. They saw the bed in center and looked at the person who was sleeping in it … It was Daniel Granger.

“Dan!!”

“Dad!!”

Both women exclaimed, and Dan opened his eyes to see the source of commotion; then he smiled when he saw his family “Hello there; thank God you are alive”

“How are you now?” Emma asked as she gave him a kiss and sat beside him.

“A bit sore; but better than before; yesterday I felt like I was pricked with a thousand needles; it was terrible”

“Don't worry dad; it will be over soon …” Hermione was about to tell him about Harry; but a grumpy looking healer burst into the room muttering angrily.

“First that annoying hex maker, then I had to tend to a muggle; who the hell brought him here in the first place?”

“I did” Harry said as he stepped into the ward; and Dan paled at his sight; the healer turned around and continue on babbling.

“Well, you know the policy- … Bless my soul, it's Harry Potter” The healer muttered in amazement and extended a trembling hand “Mark Harman, chief consultant”

“Pleased to meet you” Harry said halfheartedly but didn't shake his hand “Now that we made our acquaintance; I would like to know your excuse for not tending to this patient personally as I requested”

The healer stammered as he looked for an excuse “Well, I was dealing with that hex maker who has hexed himself accidentally and-”

“Hexes are considered minor injuries compared with this case” Harry said firmly “This patient has been hit with the Cruciatus curse by a well-trained death eater and you neglected him?”

“I'm sorry; I will tend to him right away” the healer's face reddened as he went through the check-ups; he then mumbled something before walking out of the room.

“Well, I hope I haven't interrupted something” Harry said joyfully; and finally Dan spoke “What the bloody are you doing here?”

“Dan” Emma scolded.

“Dad, Harry was the one who saved us; the person who attacked s was an imposter” Hermione explained everything except about Harry being a wizard, and Dan's expressions softened.

“I think I owe you an apology, Harry; although that imposter's mask was too real”

Harry and Hermione looked at each other; before Hermione spoke calmly to her father “Dad, that was not a mask; that imposter used magic”

“Used what?” Dan questioned in confusion.

“Magic … He was a wizard; just like Harry”

Silence fell in the room as Dan stirred the new told information aggressively into his mind before smiling “I knew that you've got something special within you; but magic … Blimey, that is something beyond imagination”

Hermione replied excitedly “He is not just a wizard, dad; he is a general in the magic force that is called Auror Force”

“A general” Dan looked at him in amazement “You must've done quite outstanding deeds, young lad”

“Just a few things here and there” Harry said in genuine modesty; then he straightened up as he received a call. He pushed the 'Receive' button, and spoke firmly “Speak”

“They brought the surveillance reports back, sir” Dick spoke in excitement.

“Good; order a battle pensieve and let them empty the scenes within it; then order them to continue on surveying” Harry commanded

“Roger, sir” Dick's hologram disappeared; and he looked back at the Grangers “I'm sorry, I would like to sit and chat, but there is a mission at hand”

“Don't worry about us, son; just do your thing and get rid of those bloody wankers” Dan replied in approval; and Hermione stood up “I am coming”

“Hermione, it will be a fierce fight, you might get hurt” Harry said in concern; and she shook her head “I don't care; I want to see Muerte's fall myself”

Dan chuckled weakly and spoke up “Don't try to argue with her, Harry; she has my stubbornness which you can't break up”

“I think you are right, sir” Harry said in defeat, then looked at her “Come along then”

“Right on, Harry” she said in excitement and walked beside him

“And Harry” Dan called him, and he turned around “Look after my daughter for me”

Harry smiled “Your wish is my command, sir” then he walked out of the ward along with his friend detective.


End file.
